Dragon Blood
by Nintendo Nut1
Summary: A mysterious dragon sorceror joins SSBM with unknown reasons... And when they mention a halfdragon, he becomes interested in one specific Smasher... First installment of the Dragon series.
1. Mysterious New Smasher

A/N: Okay, like, OMG, FullMetalEdward has been CONSTANTLY bugging me about this fic dedicated to her...

FME: HAVE NOT!

Have too. So, this story is going to be updated at last! With her and her muses here as a reward for being my inspiration!

FME: WEE! 8D

Link: O.O AHHH! NOT HER!

Roy: Hey, chill out! We're here too!

Ed: Unfortunately...

Eliwood: Roy! You're here!

Roy: Hey, Dad! 8D (hugs him)

Aw, ain't life grand? Well, anyways, better start the chapter soon... Put down the chainsaw, FME.

FME: YAY! (throws it away, it almost lands on Ed) Chappie time! 8D

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 1: Mysterious New Smasher

His opponent was knocked to the far side of the arena, recovering from the massive damage he had suffered. This was Roy's chance. He assumed the appropriate stance and felt the process begin. It started as a warm glow from within, building heat and size the more he thought and offered to it. His emotions swarmed into a hot ball of energy within his body that expanded to reach the metal fibers of his Sword of Seals. It too began to glow and heat up, but it did nothing to his gloved hands, grasping the hilt tightly. And with all this energy came power, and it all flooded into his blade, awaiting to be released. He did not know where this source of power came from, but used it all the same.

At last his target was close enough, just as the last bit of white-hot energy went into his sword. And with a roar, he released the power with an explosion that hit his opponent head on. The fires of rage and adrenaline erupted in front of Roy, none of the flames licking himself as if he was impervious to them. Not the same for its victim.

"HAHA! BOOYAH!"

Roy reveled in excitement as his opponent went flying into the Termina Great Bay sky, engulfed in flames as a result of his final devastating move. There came the satisfying blast from the side of the arena, and the Pherean whooped and hollered in triumph.

"This game's winner is... ROY!"

"Damn right!" he cheered as he was transported out of the bay. Seconds later, he stepped out of the transporter, and in the one next to him came out his good Alteanian friend Marth, giving him a smug grin.

"Haha! First time you actually fell for Flare Blade! You getting rusty or what?" the redhead laughed, getting a mix of a glare and a pout in response.

"Shut your face," Marth retorted lamely.

The two turned away from each other to meet their green-clothed Hylian friend who had been watching, giving Roy a thumbs-up. "Nice."

Roy grinned. "See, Marth, Link's a good sport!"

The glare returned, but was also joined by a sly grin. "Yeah, well, he wasn't the one that got hit by the most predictable move in the world."

Link laughed. "What's the matter, Marth, sour 'cause the half-dragon toasted you?"

Marth playfully punched the elf in the arm before all three broke into laughter. These three swordsmen were the type of good friends that could beat each other up, pick on each other, and then laugh about it later. A quarrel like this was the natural thing for them.

"Well, anyway," Roy was the first to recover, sheathing his sword. "Flare Blade isn't the most predictable move; Ganondork's Warlock Punch is."

Link nodded in agreement. "Too true. You can see that coming a mile away."

"Move out of the way, jokers!" There came a gruff voice along with a rude shove as Bowser pushed them aside to continue down the hallway towards the Foyer.

"Didn't see that coming."

"Hey!" Roy hollered, shaking a fist. "You could at least say please, jerk!"

"What was that all about?" Link asked, confused.

"Haven't you heard?" Peach spoke up as she passed by. "The new Smasher is arriving soon!"

"Huh?" Roy managed to get out before she walked away giddily.

"Oh, that's right!" Marth clarified. "That was today, wasn't it?"

"What?" Roy looked helplessly between his two knowing friends. "Hey, how come I didn't know about the new Smasher?"

"Cause you're always asleep during the morning announcements," Marth stated bluntly as they began their stroll towards the Foyer.

"How come no one ever tells me anything...?" Roy wailed like a young child, which was common, as he was the youngest of the three.

"You never asked," Link responded.

Roy pouted throughout the whole walk down the hallways, so there wasn't much more discussion between the three. Pretty soon they had reached the grand Foyer of the SSBM Mansion. The rest of the Smashers stood atop the black-and-white tiled floors, chattering endlessly in anticipation of the new Smasher's arrival.

"I wonder who he is?"

"I hope he's strong!"

"He'd better be! I need a challenge after all the rest of you!"

"Right, Falcon, 'cause we only keep beating the snot out of you."

"Grr..."

The three swordsmen glanced upon the buzz. "Typical," Link commented. "Anything out of the ordinary will get these people aroused."

Anime rivers of tears flowed down Roy's face. "Everyone knows things except for me..."

"Your fault for sleeping in late," Marth pointed out.

The crowd of Smashers remained abuzz for quite a while. That is, until there was the sound of the glass front doors opening. All Smashers turned towards the doorway to see the new Smasher step in slowly.

He was young, most likely in his late teens, but the grim expression on his face showed knowledge beyond his years. His skin was awfully pale, ears small and pointed. His silver hair reached his waist, a large amount of bangs concealing most of his face, only daring to show his mouth, a few face markings, and a deep red eye. The top of his head wore a flat purple hat with a crown of gold, embedded with a single red jewel and horns from a certain creature. He wore a purple, gold-trimmed tunic with long sleeves and large cuffs, framed by odd symbols. A dark blue cape dropped over his shoulders, and his belt buckle showed a symbol of what looked to be a hooked tail. Under the tunic were baggy red pants, ending at soft green shoes with large cuffs holding symbols that looked like claws. In his hand he carried a large staff, the top made of an odd-shaped bone with a red amulet of power embedded within. The staff itself was formed by what seemed to be vertebra, tied together with bark.

There was silence as the Smashers glanced at this new being in curiosity, trying to size up his strength. He looked to be a magic-user, face reflecting indifference. Yet as Roy looked at him, he sensed something else, something strange and dangerous about this magic-user that made the Pherean uneasy. No one else seemed to notice, so he kept it to himself.

At last, Mario stepped up to the new Smasher, a little bit intimidated by him, therefore nervous. "Er... Um, you're the new Smasher, am I right?"

The grim youth nodded, reaching into the folds of his tunic with his free hand to produce a small piece of paper. "I had received this letter shortly after the tryouts," he said in a stern, unemotional voice, handing the plumber the letter.

"Right." Mario glanced at the letter. "So, you're Vanuto, from the Flammorian Mountains, am I right?"

Once again, he nodded. "That is I."

"Great!" Mario grinned, outstretching a welcoming hand. "Welcome to Super Smash Brothers Melee, Vanuto."

But Vanuto ignored the offer, walking past Mario slowly as if he wanted none of the plumber's cheerfulness. His showing red eye shifted from Smasher to Smasher, piercing into their hearts and souls with that ember gaze. He seemed to be looking for someone, one with some sort of characteristic that stood out. But all these people were so diverse, the person he was seeking could've been any one of them!

The uneasy feeling never settled within Roy, but in fact his fear grew as his bright eyes of sapphire found themselves impossible to look away from that dark figure standing within five feet of him. His jaw tightened in tension as he found himself wishing that Vanuto wouldn't smite the whole lot of them with whatever horrid magic that was contained within that odd staff.

He heard a voice whisper beside him, and turned to glance at Link, who made sure his comments were kept quiet. "Freaky guy, huh?"

"Yeah," Roy felt himself respond. "Know him, by any chance?"

"No... He's got pointed ears, but they're not Hylian ears." True, they were only half the size of Link's large ears. "And I've never heard of the Flammorian Mountains."

"I have," Marth butted in, equally aware of the near-silence they needed to keep. "Not a lot of people live there. A really bare and secluded mountain range."

"Guess that explains his lack of a social image," Link stated. "Doesn't look like much of a friendly person."

Roy couldn't have agreed more. As his gaze turned back to the mage-in-question, he froze and his blood ran cold as he found Vanuto's gaze had landed on him. That scarlet eye fully trained on him as if he had found what he was looking for. Roy grimaced slightly, hoping he'd turn elsewhere as quickly as he did the others, but Vanuto did not look away. That one-eyed glimpse seemed to bore deep into his very soul as if trying to find something there that was within and inhabited no one else. Roy's deepest innards shuttered.

Thankfully, the trance was broken when Mario (who had been previously recovering from the youth's rudeness) cleared his throat quite loudly beside Vanuto, forcing him to turn away. The plumber grinned, ignoring the glare he received in return.

"Well, better get all that paperwork signed!" He grasped Vanuto's shoulder and ushered him towards a branching hallway. "The sooner we get that done, the better!"

Vanuto was most reluctant in leaving, eager to know more about that strange redhead, but he figured there would be time for that later. "Very well."

The Smashers cleared the way silently and watched as the two disappeared down the halls, heading for the office room. Once Vanuto was out of ear, they all broke off into their groups, chatting endlessly once more, now that they had gotten a good look at the new recruit.

"Wow, he looks tough!"

"Mean, too!"

"Pfft! He don't look like neither!"

"Yeah, watch, Falcon, he'll come right back and kick your ass with his magic."

"GRR!"

These groups of Smashers laughing at Captain Falcon's outburst began to leave for the next hour left of fighting before the arenas closed for the night. Pretty soon, the three swordsmen were the only ones left in the Foyer.

"...Wow..." Marth was the first to speak. "Was that guy weird or what...?"

"Yeah..." Link nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Wonder what's up with him... Hey, you alright, Roy?"

Roy's gaze was forced up at the question from his elfin friend, a truly scared look in his eyes. "Yeah... But that guy really creeps me out..."

The blonde and cobalt exchanged glances, taking this matter seriously instead of picking on their friend. Nothing usually scared Roy (and if it did, he never showed it), and the exchange between him and Vanuto didn't go unnoticed. He looked straight into the eye of the mage; something dreadful must've been behind it.

Knowing this, Marth frowned. "We'd better keep an extra eye on him, then."

* * *

A/N: So, how's that?

FME: That was GREAT! Hmm, red eyes? GASP! HE'S AN ISHVARLEN!

No, 'cause than he'd need dark skin.

FME: Oh, yeah! XD My bad!

Roy: Roy fears nothing!

Link: (holds up a spider)

Roy: EEK! (jumps into Ed's arms) Oh, hello, Ed.

Ed: T-T (drops him)

Okay, so Vanuto is MY original character, no using him without permission, got it? Oh, and I drew a pic of him, so if you wanna see it, email me, ok? And if you're scratching your head over the "cobalt" comment, that's my word for a blue-haired person. Who knows? Maybe others would use it and I'll have an effect on the world of fashion!

Eliwood: Yeah, you wish.

SILENCE! (baps him) Anyways, please review!


	2. Meeting the Sorcerer

A/N: I have many things to rant about, but I shall choose to keep it to myself and continue my fanfic writing for all yous.

Eliwood: A wise endeavor.

Roy: Neeeeerd...

Eliwood: WHAT WAS THAT?

Roy: Nothing!

And yes, I know Vanuto is very close to Vaati from the Minish Cap. In fact, I did kinda base Vanuto's look off him when I drew the pic, but most of his character will be original, honest!

Link: RIPOFF!

FME: CHEAP!

Ed: Can I shut them up?

Sure, go right ahead.

Ed: (puts tape on their mouth) Duct tape is like the force; it has a light and dark side, and it holds the universe together. :)

X) I love that quote. Chappie time!

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 2: Meeting the Sorcerer

The hour passed before anyone knew it, and by 6 o'clock, all arenas were shut down, only to open tomorrow at 8 o'clock sharp. Free to their own schedule, most Smashers went out to the various restaurants in the surrounding city for dinner. The swordsmen, however, being broke, stayed behind in the Mansion to dine on their share of a pot roast dinner cooked up by Fox (who was surprisingly quite the cook). And so did Vanuto.

"So...which one of you is going...?"

Marth, Roy, and Link stood side by side in the small serving line, the latter of which who asked the above question. They had agreed that more needed to be learned about this Vanuto, and that one of them was to sit with him during dinner and try to get some information. The only problem was deciding _who_ would be the one to step into the lion's den.

"No way in hell you're making _me_ do it!" Roy instantly countered. "I ain't going anywhere _near_ him!"

"Well, I'm not!" Link retaliated. "_You're_ the one he's interested in!"

"Kinda the reason I gotta stay away from him, dumbass!"

"You guys," Marth, the eldest and most steady-headed (most of the time), stopped their quarrel. "Why don't we all go together so if he tries anything, we'll be in greater numbers?"

"...Okay..."

"Sounds fair."

"Don't pout like that, Roy, it's not gonna help."

"Hmmp..." Roy glared in annoyance as he snatched his warm dinner plate with the smoking meat and steamed vegetables. His attitude instantly changed as he glanced up at Link and Marth. "Just... don't let me sit too close to him... I-I don't know what he could do..."

Once more the two exchanged looks, more concerned for their friend than anything. "Sure, Roy, whatever's comfortable for you," Marth answered softly, with Link nodding in agreement. Roy couldn't help but smile slightly in gratitude. Sure, these two were the ones who always picked on him, but he was glad they were capable of being mature and understanding when they needed to be.

Once they had grabbed their meal, the three made their way towards the table that Vanuto was sitting at, alone, of course.

"Try to be friendly," Marth advised. "We don't wanna get on his bad side." The redhead and blonde nodded.

They approached the table, casually taking a seat each around the round table. Vanuto glanced up from his meal at the sudden swarm, a puzzled look on his face.

"Hey," Marth greeted, giving him a friendly grin. "How you doing? I'm Marth, and these punks are Link and Roy." They laughed in response. Even a nervous Roy lightened up a bit at the presence of familiar humor.

Vanuto stared at these strangers while silently questioning their sanity and/or intelligence. "Uh-huh," he replied irritably, carving into his meat with his knife and fork, showing adequate table manners. "Why are you here?"

"Can't a person get to know the newbie?" Link responded, a grin beaming on his impish features.

Vanuto seemed to hesitate, not used to approaches such as these, but figuring there was no harm in a little talk, his face lightened up a bit with a soft smile. "Right, then."

"So, what's your profession?" Marth asked, encouraged by his openness.

Vanuto paused just before he slipped a tiny piece into his mouth. "Pardon?"

"What do you do?" Link translated.

"What're you known as?" Marth specified.

He set down his utensils, willing to explain. "Well, I'm a dragon sorcerer. I study the ancient arts and lore of dragonology in order to preserve the powers they once held."

"Wow, that's cool!" Link grinned.

"What do you mean 'they _once_ held?'" Marth asked, inclining his head.

"Dragons are gone from this world. All hunted by fools who called themselves dragonologists," he noted with a tinge of scorn. "But they never had the powers. They could've never touched upon the true nature of dragons with the foolish procedures they had..."

The blonde and cobalt paused at that statement, as well as the bitterness they had agitated with such a little question. Perhaps this was why his demeanor was so unpleasant. For a minute they felt bad for ever considering him to be a sort of evil mage or something like that.

"Ahem, well..." Link sought to change the subject. "You can use these powers, like sort of arcane magic, right?"

Vanuto nodded, his inner remorse retreating. "You know of arcane magic?"

"My friend Zelda uses it. I know a bit myself as well."

"What about all of you?" he asked, raising his fork and taking a bite.

"Well, we're all swordsmen," Link stated first, placing a hand on his sternum. "I come from Hyrule, and I was its savior when Ganondorf attempted a takeover."

"I _was_ the Prince of Altea," Marth noted next. "But I was forced into exile when the Kingdom of Dolua took over. During my travels, I met Roy here." He patted Roy on the back, catching him off-guard and causing him to sputter a bit of food in surprise. "After his studies of swordplay were finished, he chose to leave Pherae to hone his skills in foreign lands. We've been on the road since then, until we were invited here."

Vanuto nodded, his gaze now set on the Pherean once more. "What's wrong with him? Not much of a talker?"

Roy flinched and went back to shoveling in his food. He had been that way for the entire conversation, though his pace had quickened now. He rushed through his meal as if he had to be somewhere... or just had to get away.

Marth chuckled, ruffling Roy's mop of auburn hair, to which the youth moaned in protest. "Don't mind him, the little half-dragon's just shy, that's all." Roy turned up with bright angry eyes, exclaiming something incoherent behind the food in his cheeks. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

Vanuto's showing eye widened just a bit as his body tensed up. "...Half-dragon...?"

"Oh, that's just the nickname we gave him a while ago." It was now Link's turn to ruffle his hair, gaining only more full-mouth protests. "It's because he uses fire in his combat."

"...I see..." His gaze was now fully focused on Roy, whose antics ended instantly once he realized it. It was that same gaze as before, but seemed to burrow deeper than before. It was too much for Roy to handle. He gulped, forcing under-chewed food painfully down his throat, then grasped his plate, swiftly standing up.

"Well, I'm done," he announced hastily. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off. Supposed to be a new episode of Full Metal Alchemist tonight."

"Sweet!" Link shot up, gripping his plate to take with. "Count me in!"

"But," Marth spoke up, puzzled. "Aren't those on Saturdays?"

"They changed it," Roy answered sternly, looking straight into his cobalt's friend's matching blue eyes. Understanding, Marth nodded and stood, taking his plate as well.

"It was nice talking with you. See you later," Marth bid Vanuto goodbye as the swordsmen left for the dorms. The sorcerer watched them go with expected suspicion, but also with that redhead named Roy ever so in his interest. Was this who he was looking for? His appearance steered Vanuto toward this hope, but the Laws might've not applied to outsiders of this world. Besides, the powers of fire they mentioned might've come from elsewhere. But Vanuto was not willing to give up until he knew for sure.

He would have to watch Roy closely during his battles tomorrow...

----------

"...Sorry, guys, I just had to get out of there..."

"Wait, does that man we're not watching Full Metal Alchemist?"

"No, you moron! Didn't you notice the way he was looking at Roy again...?"

"Aw, man..."

The three had quickly retired to Roy's dorm, the other two finishing their meal as they spoke among the matters of the new Smasher.

"He seemed okay once we talked to him, but there's just something that's really odd about him..." Marth pondered.

"What's _not_ odd about him?" Link cut in with his own opinion, stuff a piece of broccoli into his mouth. "His appearance and attitude are one thing, and he's got mystery written all over his face!"

"Well, yeah... But the way he reacted to 'half-dragon' was really weird..."

Roy sighed, propping his chin in his hand while his face sulked. "I wish he'd just leave me alone.."

Marth raised a brow. "He hasn't _done_ anything to you, Roy."

"Well, he will, the way he keeps looking at me!" Roy snapped, a fierce face hiding his deep fears.

His friends paused at that and once more looked at each other silently. How could they be like this when their friend was plagued with anxiety? As Roy buried his face in his hands in distress, Marth scooted over and placed a hand on his shoulder (his armor had been removed for the night).

"Hey," Marth said gently, getting Roy to look up at him. "Don't you worry about him. If he _does_ try anything, me n' Link will be there to back you up, alright?"

Roy's eyes of cerulean were slightly glossed over as a smile came to his lips. "...You really mean that...?"

"Of course." Marth smiled. "Now, how 'bout we watch some you-know-what to get Vanuto off your mind?"

"Ooh!" Link shot up and snatched the DVD form the shelf. "Dibs on pooping it in!"

"Yeah, yeah, pop it in, you nutcase." There were laughs all around at that comment. Marth was glad to see mirth fill Roy's face, as the smile seemed to fit his cute, youthful face much better. He was just this way barely three hours ago, before that sorcerer had arrived and filled his heart with dread. Marth had to admit, he liked Roy much better when he was happy. It had always been that way, ever since they met. The shine in those eyes always seemed to fit the face.

By then, Marth decided that the sooner they discovered the dark secrets behind Vanuto, the better. For Roy's sake.

* * *

A/N: There, FME! I updated! Happy?

FME: Si, senorita! 8)

Ed: I got a brief mention! 8D

Link: PLUFFY-FLUFFINESS ALERT! (sounds the alarm)

NO THIS IS NOT AN INDICATION OF MARTH/ROY ROMANCE! KNOCK IT OFF!

Link: Oops, sorry! (sweatdrop)

Although the pairing is cute, I feel that it would be kinda unnecessary.

Eliwood: (sheaths rapier) Tragedy averted.

Roy: Whaddya mean by that?

Eliwood: (unsheathes it again rabidly) I WANT GRANDKIDS WITH MY GENES, DAMMIT!

Roy: O.O Whoa, alright! Geez...

Ed: Oo Your dad's scary...

FME: Good thing he doesn't know about Roy's...ahem...

Eliwood: Roy's what?

Roy: Um... (FLEEEE)

Eliwood: (CHASE)

XD What's Roy's secret? Well, you'll just have to ask FullMetalEdward! (blows raspberry) In the meantime, review this sucker!


	3. Challenge

A/N: Yo, peeps! I just got back from my mountain vacation trip, and guess what I got!

Link: What?

STUNG! (shows everyone my swollen finger)

Eliwood: Ouch.

First bee sting I've ever gotten, believe it or not. At least I know I'm not allergic now!

Ed: But... How are you able to type with a swollen finger?

Roy: Cause she's SUPER NINTENDO NUT! 8D

FME: YAY! (blows fanfare)

Link: (throws confetti)

Eliwood: Um... Hoo-ah.

Roy: YEAH! 8D

Okay, onto business. No, this story will not include FMA. That was just a cute little mention and kind of an advertisement to FullMetalEdward's latest fic (which is our continuous RP session).

Ed: Aw, man...

And frankly, I'm not worried about chapter length this time around. I want to keep a chain of events going with this, keep it smooth. And no offense, but I really don't feel others should worry over chapter length.

Ed: It's not about quantity. It's about quality.

...You certainly are the smarter one, aren't you?

Ed: When I feel like it. (starts headbanging and jumping to System of a Down with Roy and FME)

Well, that didn't last long. Oh well. Chappie time.

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 3: Challenge

The next morning came once everyone was well-rested. The swordsmen avoided Vanuto during breakfast, for Roy's sake. Once the meal was finished, all Smashers broke off for fighting as usual.

Marth stood by one of the many Screentrons, this one corresponding to the Hyrule Temple arena, as he watched his two friends duke it out. He smiled as it was entertaining to witness Link and Roy exchange blows and taunts alike.

"Greetings, Marth," a voice from nearby greeted, and the cobalt turned to find Vanuto approaching, the usual indifferent look on his face. Marth briefly regarded him darkly for bringing fear to his best friend, but hid his anger behind a forced smile.

"Hey, Vanuto. You've had any matches?"

"Not as of yet. None of the fighters... interest me."

Marth scoffed softly so he couldn't hear, annoyed by the subtly proud comment. The sorcerer stood beside him idly, crimson eye trained on the Screentron.

"So... you said Roy uses fire in his combat...?"

"Oh, yeah, you just gotta wait for it... There! See?" he pointed out as Roy thrust his sword into the sky, striking Link as he fell above him. Engulfed in flames, Link went flying, but not too far as he was able to recover and rejoin the match. But not until after he called Roy a stupid be-otch.

Vanuto was silent in thought before asking, "...Where do you suppose those powers came from?"

"Well, none of us quite know. Not even _he_ knows. My best guess would have to be his blade, the Sword of Seals, but in truth I have no idea."

"Huh." Vanuto's gaze solely trained on Roy as the redhead continued to battle. Was it really the sword? Were his suspicions false? No, it had to be deeper than that. He did not come all this way to live with these freaks and not find the one he was looking for.

"This game's winner is... ROY!"

He would just have to find out for himself.

The two stepped out of the transporters, Roy doing an odd little victory dance while taunting a stiff Link profusely. "Oh yeah! I beat the man in green! Yes!" He poked the elf on the shoulder. "I beat you." Another poke. "I beat you." Poke. "I beat you." Poke. "I beat you." Poke. "I beat you." Poke. "I be..."

Slug. Roy gripped his arm and gave Link a shocked gape. "OW! You bas!" He returned the favor with a punch of his own, which Link instantly retaliated. The two exchanged blows until it progressed into a sissy-slap fight. They broke it off and all three broke into laughter as good friends always do.

Vanuto stood apart from this, constantly glancing at his object of interest. As Roy finally noticed, one could visibly see his look of amusement melt into that of apprehension. Noticing this change, the other two turned to glance at the obsessed sorcerer. Marth did not hold back his anger anymore as a glare crossed his handsome face.

Ignoring the Hylian and Alteanian, Vanuto took a few steps closer, to which the Pherean took a few steps back. "You, Roy." He held out his staff, the sharp point touching his breast armor. Roy's eyes glued themselves to it, sweat coating his face. "I challenge you to a battle, Two Stock, on the Battlefield arena, in ten minutes."

Roy stuttered for a moment, trying to form words. "Uh, uma, hu, um..."

"It would be most dishonorable to refuse a challenge from a fellow warrior, wouldn't it?" he sneered as more pressure was pressed into the armor.

Roy whimpered, but nodded hastily. Vanuto pulled the staff away, gave him a stern glare, and walked away to prepare for the match. Roy stood aghast, that shocked look threatening to be frozen forever on his face.

"What a creep!" Link spat disgustedly. "What's _his_ problem?"

"Bah, who knows..." Marth groaned, then trained his attention on the poor redhead. "Um... Roy, you alright?"

Roy began to feverishly shake his head, beginning to step back in the opposite direction as Vanuto went. "No... N-no way, man, I ain't fighting him...!"

"Hey, whoa, wait a sec!" Marth and Link held him back as he tried to bolt for it, the former of which who spoke. "He's right in some sense. You can't back down from a challenge. You know that."

"I don't wanna fight him!" Roy wailed, struggling as they pinned him against the wall.

"You have to!" Link exclaimed. "It's the rookie's first match, and everyone's gonna be there to watch! If you don't show up, you'll be the laughing stock of SSBM!"

"I don't care!" the youth bellowed, sweat covering his face. Or was it tears...? "I'm not going anywhere near that psycho!"

"ROY!" Marth shouted, causing the Pherean to stop short and stare at his friend in shock. Marth had never needed to raise his voice like that before, and it instantly shut him up like a small child. "You're never gonna conquer your fear of Vanuto unless you confront him! You have to stop hiding from him!"

Roy's gaze lowered in shame as he deeply sighed. Marth was right; there was no sense in running anymore.

"Right." Link lightly hit the side of his arm, a lighthearted smile on his face. "We don't want you to start chickening out on us!"

Roy's bright eyes snapped up, giving Link a glare. "I'm not a chicken!" With that, he stormed away to prepare his match, as there was no point in staying with friends who would only pick on him.

The two watched him go in his rotten mood, and once he was gone, Marth took the opportunity to deliver a sharp slap to the back of Link's head.

"Ow!" the elf cried out, throwing a glare at Marth as he rubbed his head gingerly. "What was that for?"

"Smooth move, Exlax!" the prince growled. "You just _had_ to stick in an insult, didn't you?"

"Well, geez, I was just trying to cheer him up! Goddesses..." he muttered.

Marth chose to give up on scolding Link and gazed off in the direction Roy had gone. That was so unlike him, to actually _not_ want to battle. Was he really that scared? Was Vanuto really so frightening beneath that melancholy demeanor?

"Come on, Link, let's head towards the arena." He began to walk off, Link following and muttering complaints the cobalt chose to ignore. Whatever the case may be, he just hoped Vanuto wouldn't try anything funny...

* * *

A/N: Yes, I know that was short, leave me alone.

Roy: (pokes me) Bother! 8D Bother bother bother!

(slug)

Roy: Ow... Dad, she hit me!

Eliwood: You so had that coming.

Roy: Aw...

Link: XD

Ed and FME: (still rocking hard to System of a Down)

Hey, I wanna too! Review, peeps! ROCK ON!


	4. Explosive Confrontation

A/N: Hey, it's me again! What's up, peeps?

Link: Well... Um...

Eliwood: (running in circles) WAAAHHH!

Ed: (chasing him with a bucket of water) HOLD STILL DAMMIT!

Roy: Kekekekekekekekeke... 8D

Oo Um...

Link: Roy set Eliwood's cape on fire.

Ah, I see.

FME: (laughing her head off) XD You're gonna be in trouble, Roy!

Roy: Kekekek... WHAAAAT?

Chappie time!

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 4: Explosive Confrontation

News always got around fast around this Mansion, so when ten minutes passed, every one of them were gathered below the Screentron of the Battlefield. Vanuto was a bit irritated by the undesired crowd, but he put it past him as he awaited the arrival of his opponent along with the rest of them.

Finally, Roy entered the vast room, face and eyes devoid of most feeling. The rest of the Smashers moved out of the way to allow him to approach his challenger. And yet he wasn't willing to look up into the face of the sorcerer.

Vanuto was not moved by this disrespectful act. "Are you ready, Roy?"

"Yeah..." he nodded, his sapphire gaze not moving.

"Very well."

With that, the two approached the transporters. Roy took a deep breath, trying his best not to lose his cool. He looked up from the floor briefly, but did a double take as he saw Link and Marth standing not too far away. Link grinned widely and gave him a thumbs-up, whereas Marth simply had an encouraging smile on his face. Even after he walked out on them, they were still there to support him. He returned a grateful smile before stepping into the pod to face his fears head on.

The Screentron flicked on to show the small stage and three smaller platforms floating through space, the dark skies with blue, green, and purple swirls and starry twinkles framing this simple arena. There were two small columns of light on the top and bottom platforms, and Roy and Vanuto materialized into battle. Roy quickly drew his sword and Vanuto brandished his bony staff defensively, awaiting the command to let loose.

"Ready... GO!"

Roy dropped through the top platform, performing a Half Moon Swipe from above, hitting Vanuto right on. The sorcerer growled and returned the favor by slashing into Roy with the sharp end of his staff, and it was unbelievably sharp. It would've torn Roy apart had he not been protected by the SSBM magic that flowed through the arenas. Roy attacked with his Double-Edged Dance next, racking up Vanuto's damage counter with each strike. Vanuto tried to perform a thrusting stab, but Roy hastily Countered it and sent him for a ways with a Smash attack, but not too far, as he hit the floor, inches away from the edge.

"Looks like Roy dominates Vanuto in the weapon-based combat," Fox added his commentaries. "But then again, Vanuto doesn't look too natural, wielding the staff like a weapon."

"Betcha he has something else under his sleeve," Samus mused.

Indeed he did. As he stood, his eyes almost seemed to glow as he gave Roy a nasty glare, which made the Pherean freeze on the spot, rooted in fear. The crimson stone embedded in the bony staff began to glow like embers, and a small blast of flames slammed into Roy, knocking him back quite a bit. As he got back on the stage, he just barely dodged another blast, and another, and another...

"Yep, told ya."

"That's not fair!" Young Link exclaimed. "He's not even giving Roy a chance to attack!"

Roy was stuck on the defense, jumping from platform to platform to avoid Vanuto's arcane magic. _Dammit! He chose this stage so I'd have no cover!_ He realized, filled with anger, and it did a good job of covering up the fear. That's when he remembered. _My shield!_

The Shield was a feature he rarely used, only for Side-dodging purposes. He had nearly forgotten all about it over the months of practicing.

As he landed on the large platform, he activated his blue 2P Shield, its spherical bubble encasing him in its protection. But Vanuto fired again, and to everyone's surprise, it was powerful enough to break through that defense. The Shield's clear surface shattered like glass from the sheer force. Roy recoiled in shock. He never saw that coming... or did he?

"No way!"

"Those lasts can break Shields?"

"Oh, man, Roy's toast!"

Link and Marth watched tensely as Roy swayed, glowing red and twinkles sparkling on his body, indicating the aftereffects of a shattered Shield. Pretty soon he lost his balance and fell to his knees, his mop of hair drooping and covering his face as his arms struggled to support his whole upper body. He was utterly defenseless. Vanuto knew this as he casually strolled forward and stood in front of him. He smirked at Roy's haggard figure and rose his staff, ready to strike.

"Oh no! Roy's a goner!" Zelda cried.

"Yeah! KO that sucker!" Falcon cheered.

As he watched, Marth was unbelieving the concept he was witnessing. _No way! Roy wouldn't be stupid enough to leave himself open like that! He's gotta be setting up some sort of trap!_

Marth couldn't have been more right.

"PSYCH!" Roy exclaimed with a sly grin, shooting up and swinging his sword in a devastating Smash attack, and sense Vanuto was so close, he got a taste of the strongest part of the blade: the center. Needless to say, the young sorcerer went flying, a humungous column of light indicating his loss of one life. Roy laughed in triumph.

"ROY'S OUR BOY! ROY'S OUR BOY!" Link started to chant excitedly, getting most of the other Smashers to do the same. Even Marth, who usually wasn't the one to cheer, joined in.

As Roy soaked up the cheers like a sponge soaks up water, the recovery platform carried Vanuto back onto the stage, and he looked extremely angry for being fooled so easily. Noticing his return, Roy rolled to the side as the sorcerer dropped through the top platform and tried to strike him with his staff again. At the end of his roll, he stood on the west side of the platform, facing an incensed Vanuto.

"Hmmp," Vanuto scoffed. "So you were able to knock me out once. I'd like to see you do it again... _without your sword!_" He sent out a blast that aimed for the Sword of Seals. Roy cried out as it exploded on his hand, sending the sword into oblivion.

"_No!_" He leaned over the edge and tried to catch it, but it was no use. The blade fell into the astral void, never to be wielded for the rest of the battle.

The Smashers all gasped in tension at this. One of the teleporters began to glow, and Roy's sword came flying out, landing on the ground with an audible clatter. Link quickly plucked it from the floor, giving Marth a worried glance, equally returned.

Roy turned to face Vanuto, fear clearly plastered on his face. The sorcerer could do nothing but brandish his staff and cackle at his opponent's misfortune. "Let's see how well you battle without a weapon!"

As Roy was forced to flee from his attacks once more, his mind was racing at 100 mph. _Oh no, what am I gonna do now? That damn bastard, he cheated! I can't believe he's cheating!_

And at that moment, something warm grew within his body. He could feel it grow hotter and hotter, but paid it no mind as if it was a second nature. He felt his body tense up, his fists tighten, and his face contort in withdrawn fury. The more callous and anger he offered it, the more it grew until it was a mass of white-hot energy, needing to be let out. Badly.

"Whoa, what's with Roy?" asked Luigi as the redhead stood rigid on the east side of the stage, showing either signs of pain or contained fury. It was hard to tell.

Vanuto halted his assault as well, staring at Roy's agitated figure in anticipation. Was this it? Would this be the power he was hoping to reveal?

As if to answer him, Roy swiveled around to face him, taking a furious pose. His eyes burned the fiery color of flames that threatened to consume the world with their callous lick. And now it was Vanuto's turn to be afraid, as he took a step back, holding his staff defensively as if it would help.

"..._rrrrrrRRRRRAAARRGH! **BASTARD!**_" Roy let out a piercing roar, and upon his command, an earsplitting explosion rocked the Battlefield. The flames scorched all areas of the stage, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier around Roy as his clothes billowed about in the fire's force. From within this protective circle, he ordered the inferno to gather and strike his opponent with all its force. The huge meteor of flames collided with Vanuto, and his damage counter went from 0 to 250 as he fell into the sky, screaming as his aflame figure became a star in the distance.

"HOLY CRAP!" Nearly every Smasher exclaimed in unison, the rest standing aghast at the unbelievable attack they had just witnessed. Never before had anyone performed an ability so destructive, not even Falco, Bowser, or Ganondorf could begin to compare with the sheer power the Pherean had summoned! How on earth did he do it?

Roy stood in there in dumb astonishment, catching his breath that got caught in his throat. _Whoa... how the freak did I do that?_

"This game's winner is... ROY!"

Vanuto stepped out of his teleporter, wincing over the few burns on his skin that SSBM magic couldn't block. But right now, all attention was on Roy as he slowly stepped out. Glancing around, every single gaping face was more priceless than the last. He lastly glanced at Link and Marth, whose pupils had nearly shrunken into tiny dots and their jaws threatened to unhinge and drop to the floor. Roy couldn't help but grin, as seeing those faces would probably be the height of his day.

Link wasn't sure what possessed him to move forward and meet his friend halfway, but that face did not change in the slightest, his big ears threatening to flop down to his neck. It was downright amusing for Roy as he watched the elf try to speak, but one word fumbled over the other as his initial shock got the better of him and caused him to stutter profusely for a few minutes.

Roy grinned. "Hey, thanks, I'll take that." He casually reached over and took the sword from Link's trembling grasp and sheathed it.

At last, Link got a hold of himself, putting a hand to his forehead to relax. He let out a deep sigh, then looked up at his friend. "Roy..." he started, his voice on the verge of squeaking. "How... the freak... DID YOU DO THAT?"

"I don't know!" Roy laughed. "But it was fricken cool!"

"What're you talking about? That was WICKED AWESOME!" Link hollered with a wide grin on his face, and they broke into a mix of laughter and cheering. "I mean, you were all like 'RARGH!', and then it was like 'FWOOSH!', and the fires were all 'BOOM!', and...!"

Most of the Smashers joined in the excitement as the easily excited expressed their comments in loud voices.

"WOW-THAT-WAS-SO-COOL!"

"Do it again!"

"That was amazing! Unbelievable!"

Marth stood apart from the group of over-excited Smashers, but a smile of gladness was clearly on his face, more so at the happy expression on Roy's face as he did his little victory dance with Link. He had many questions to ask, but chose to let his best friend savor his victory over his fears.

His sapphire eyes glanced at Vanuto, who overviewed the mess of Smashers in disgust. It was to be expected for him to be angry at his loss, but as his vermillion eye found Roy, his look changed instantly into that same thoughtful gaze. Yes... all of this only proved his hopes even more. Just one more test, and he'd have the answer...

Marth watched the sorcerer turn on his heel and sprint away towards the dorms. A faint glare came to his face as suspicions went on high. The more Vanuto came and went, the more shady and suspicious he seemed...

* * *

A/N: See? Longer chapter!

FME: Yay! Dragon powers! (snuggles Roy)

Roy: SA-WEET! 8D

Ed: (SPLOOSH!) How's that?

Eliwood: (wrings out his cape) Yeah, peachy. Thanks.

Ed: Tis what I'm here for.

Eliwood: Alright, where is he?

Link: (points to Roy) Right over there.

Roy: O.O WAAAHHH! (runs away)

Eliwood: You are SO DEAD! (chases)

XD Please review!


	5. Final Test

A/N: Hey, guys. Been a while, huh?

Ed: Snooooooooorrreee...

Roy: ... (pokes Ed's face)

Ed: Snort...what? What'd I missed?

Link: Absolutely nothing.

Ed: Well, that's boring!

Yeah, I found a website to post up my art, so I've been busy with that. Plus, I've been playing Fire Emblem a lot!

Eliwood: -.-; Of course.

FME: FE is awesome! (snuggles Eli)

Eliwood: GACK!

HEY! ...Ah, you can have him for this chappie only.

FME: YAY!

Eliwood: Help... me...

Roy: XD

Okay, chappie time!

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 5: Final Test

The battle between Roy and Vanuto was practically the only thing that was discussed at the different dinner tables. But unlike usually, the rookie was not the subject on hand.

"I wonder how Roy was able to summon a great inferno like that..."

"And here I thought it was his sword that did all the pyrotechnics!"

"Huh... He must've always had that power, but only used it with his sword..." Fox mused. "It must've lost it sustenance when it traveled through the alloy, buffer-like fibers of the blade, therefore lowering the initial surge of the flames."

"Say what now?"

He sweatdropped. "Never mind."

When dinner was done, the three swordsmen found themselves in the dorm hallways, coming up to Roy's door as he yawned tiredly.

"Oh, man, I'm beat," he groaned, hand gripping the doorknob.

"Gee, wonder why," Link grinned, getting a playful scowl in return.

"If you're tired, go ahead and rest, Roy," Marth assured. "We'll leave you be."

"Alright." He yawned again. "See you guys in the morning." He entered his room and closed the door behind him to welcome slumber.

The blonde and cobalt slowly strolled down the halls, Link idly looking around and Marth staring at the floor in thought. The Hylian's gaze soon fell on the Alteanian, a grin coming to his face. "...That was incredible, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..." Marth replied unenthusiastically.

Link's face fell. "What's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing, I'm just thinking..." He sighed. "I never knew Roy to unleash that much power... I mean, we all used to think his sword flame attacks were strong, but after seeing that..."

"Yeah... But then again, it might've been a reaction to his outburst..."

"True... And Vanuto... It was like he was trying to reveal that power, taking his sword and egging him on... It's almost as if he knew..."

Link didn't respond to this.

"And the connection between the fires and Vanuto's association with dragons isn't just coincidence..."

"Dragons...?" The elf considered this, and his eyes widened. "You don't think..."

"Maybe... But this is just me assuming things... Oh, I don't know..." He brought a hand to his forehead. "My brain hurts..."

Link smiled. "Hey, how 'bout we head to my dorm and play some Soul Caliber 2? That usually clears your mind up."

"Sure." Marth smiled in gratitude of his Hylian friend's generosity, even though he wasn't so sure he could be so easily distracted this time. He couldn't help but worry for Roy's safety, especially with a shady Vanuto on the prowl. But maybe he was worrying too much. Roy wasn't afraid of the sorcerer anymore, so why should Marth? But that nagging feeling was still there and wouldn't go away.

_If Vanuto tries anything, heads will roll._

----------

Yet he was doing just that.

All other evidence had proved his assumptions correct, but he still needed to make sure. He had come too far to fall to error. This last test would prove it for good. But he needed a sample.

The door to Roy's dorm opened slowly and creakily, exposing the darkness to the light of the hallways. Vanuto entered and closed the door behind him quickly but carefully, then shook his staff slightly, and the gem gave off a slow glow like a torch. He glanced at the bed, and sure enough, there was Roy, sound asleep, rolled on his side and accompanied by a slight snore. Most of his body was covered by the warm blankets, but a white tank top exposed his bare arms, his left hand grasping the covers close. He slept peacefully, unaware of the potential danger he was in.

Vanuto leaned the staff against the wall, then reached down and pulled out a concealed dagger from a hidden sheath within his huge-cuffed boot. He held it tightly in his hand as he approached the bedside, holding the weapon as he prepared to strike...

But he froze as Roy stirred, mumbling something under his breath as he turned over onto his left side, facing Vanuto, with his right arm now exposed. He let out a sleepy sigh, then fell silent.

Vanuto sneered in annoyance, but continued with his plan. He took his blade and slashed a large gash into his lower arm. Roy cried out in pain, but Vanuto quickly placed his free hand on the youth's forehead, and with this magic touch, Roy fell back asleep.

The sorcerer trained his attention on the bloody gash, the red nectar dripping gently onto the blankets. Vanuto put the dagger away and reached into his tunic to produce a clear vial, popping it open. He then took two fingers and dabbed into the fresh wound, caressing muscle tissue to draw what he desired. He held the drenched fingertips above the vial and allowed the crimson fluid to drip into the container. He quickly closed it up and snatched his staff, leaving Roy to bleed in his peaceful slumber. He had what he needed.

----------

All he had to do was wait.

And he did so for hours, allowing the blood to soak in the multiple chemical indicators he had added. After that was done, he waited even longer for the dense substance to boil and produce the results. In the late hours of the night, he sat there reading one of his many dragonology books as the flask containing the liquid bubbled and boiled above a mild flame.

At last there came a tiny pop that drew his attention up from the text. Tossing it aside, he hopped to his feet and eyed the burning flask tensely. _Come on..._

It fizzled. It sparked.

...It turned green.

Vanuto couldn't help it as a wide grin came to his face. Green! It was green! His suspicions were correct! Roy was the person with the very special blood, now he knew it for sure. And he even had his gifts cultivated! Vanuto smirked. Now he just had to take what was his.

----------

Marth awoke to the morning drearily, tired eyes of azure glancing across the carpeted ground where he slept. His hand had been limply grasping a Gamecube controller, and he realized what happened.

_Man... I fell asleep in front of a video game? How uncool..._

Yet he noticed the console and TV had been turned off, and a blanket was spread out over him. The prince smiled to himself as he sat up and spied the tranquil figure of the Hero of Time resting in his bed. He could've woken up Marth whenever he had fallen asleep and kicked him out of his private dorm, but the elf wasn't the sort of person to do that. That's one thing he liked about Link: despite his flamboyant nature, he always had a benevolent side of him to offer whenever he could to help.

But according to the sun, it was time to awaken. He climbed onto the bed and glanced over Link, his hat missing as his long hair curled over his shoulders. His face looked so tranquil...

Too bad. Marth shook him awake. "Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty."

Link groaned in protest, yet gently opened his eyes of ocean blue to look up at his friend groggily. "Mmm," he mumbled a greeting.

Marth nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks for the free lodgings."

Link gave him a tired, yet knowing smile. "...You owe me breakfast."

Both lightly laughed as Link heaved himself into a sitting position, stretching and yawning to the extreme n sheer fatigue.

Marth cocked his head. "Hey, you alright? You don't look so hot."

A snort came from the elf as he contained his laughter. "Neither do you."

That was most likely the case. As Marth had settled in last night, he remembered removing his tiara and misplacing it somewhere. His sapphire locks were probably in a huge mess right now. Oh well, it's not like he was worried about his appearance when it was only Link.

"Well, bad looks aside, you look kinda tired."

"Yeah..." Link yawned again. "Took me a while to get to sleep... I was thinking..."

"Oh my god. The moral fibers of reality have been breeched! You actually had a thought!"

"Shut up!" The two laughed in a good-natured way, then he continued. "Seriously, though, I was thinking about what you said last night, and..."

"And...?"

Link grinned sheepishly. "...I dunno, I fell asleep while I was thinking."

Marth broke into laughter. "Why does that not surprise me?"

The elf laughed as well. "Hehe... I'm funny, aren't I?"

"Funny looking." More laughing between the two.

They would've gone on to insult each other some more, but something made their friendly quarrel stop short. It was a terrible scream, one of surprise and horror, from just a few doors down. The blonde and cobalt straightened up tensely.

"...My Goddesses, that sounds like Roy!" Link shot up from his bed and on his feet, and Marth followed him as he sprinted through the hallway to find their distressed friend. They threw his dorm door open to glance inside hastily.

There was Roy (who had apparently just woken up, due to his more-than-usual sloppy hair), sitting upon his bed, body shivering while sweat dripped off his face, frozen with horror. His eyes were glued to his right arm, coated with dry blood leaving their mark from the huge wound. Even the bed sheets where his arm had rested were drenched in the crimson fluid.

At the sound of the door, Roy's eyes of crystal blue glanced at them, silently begging for help. It was obvious he did not know what had caused the open wound.

Marth left to retrieve medical assistance. He ran down the halls, fueled by both worry and anger. He knew who must've done this, and after Roy was taken care of, that damn sorcerer was going to pay in spades.

---------

"Huh, that's weird..."

"I know..." Roy frowned down at his bandaged arm, sitting upon his bed (without his sheet, they were being cleaned). "I have no idea how it happened..."

Marth snorted from his tense spot on the floor, arms crossed. "Betcha I can guess who."

"Hey, Marth, we can't just point fingers," Link stated, his better judgment ruling out. "We need proof first!"

"And how the hell are we supposed to get proof? He was attacked in the middle of the night!"

Link thought about this for a moment, then stood from his chair and approached a puzzled Roy. "Can I look at your wound for a sec, Roy?"

The Pherean blinked. "Uh, sure..." He glanced at his bedside clock. "I gotta change my bandages anyway." With that, he unwrapped the adhesive bandages with an audible stretching noise. Soon enough, the sensitive injury was exposed to the harmful elements in the air. "Hurry up, I gotta replace them before it gets infected."

Link's angular eyes analyzed the gash carefully, grasping Roy's wrist to take a close look. He opened it carefully with his thumb and index finger, to which Roy winced, but did not protest. The elf studied the broken tissues, noting extreme details, as well as the obvious.

"Well..." he started. "It's a thin cut, but it's not proportionally deep as well..."

"...So?" Roy wondered what that meant.

"A very rare impression, made by a very rare handheld blade," he stated confidently, withdrawing his hands. "A Series 8 Dagger, nothing less."

"So what does _that_ prove?" asked Marth, becoming annoyed.

"Well, it had to be a Smasher, since the Mansion locks up pretty tightly at night." He hesitated. "...Also, I... looked through the different Smasher registrations..."

"Whoa, hold the phone," Marth interrupted, his brows furrowed. "You're telling us you hacked into the main system computer records?"

"Well...!... yeah... But I was just looking! I didn't mess with anything!"

Marth groaned, but decided not to lecture Link on the policies of social security and respect, so the subject was dropped.

"Keep going," Roy nonchalantly spoke, using a new roll of bandages to wrap up his arm.

"Well, you know how we had to register all our weapons, for technical and safety purposes?" They nodded. "Well, guess who's got a Series 8 knife?" He didn't have to tell them who.

Roy froze in mid-action, his eyes widening a little. Marth fell deeper into his agitated position, a scowl crossing his face. "Damn Vanuto..." he growled. "Now he's trying to kill you..."

"Not necessarily," Link butted in. "I also noticed there were some wipe marks around his muscle tissues."

Roy tensed, his sapphire orbs now trained on the Hylian, a look of fear written all over his face. "Which means...?"

"For some reason, Vanuto was trying to extract your blood."

Silence filled the dorm as Roy grimaced and clutched his arm. "But...why...?"

"God only knows, Roy..." Marth growled, and he would've continued on with his angry and less than proper rants, but then the door opened all of the sudden, and all three turned their attention that way to find Vanuto standing in the doorway calmly.

"Greetings," he greeted as if nothing fishy was going on. "I came to speak with Roy alone, if you two wouldn't mind..."

"_You!_" Marth shot up from his spot, his fists clenched tightly as he glared dangerously at the sorcerer. "Like hell we'll let you be alone with Roy after what you did to him!"

Vanuto blinked. "Whatever do you mean?" he asked innocently.

"_Don't play stupid!_" Marth hollered, restraining himself from slugging the smug mage square in the face.

"There's a wound that matches _your_ knife on his arm," Link clarified, not as enraged as Marth, but there was clearly a distrusting leer in his eyes and a deep, incensed tone of voice. "And you're the only one who could've had a motive for doing it."

At this, the surprised look on Vanuto's face melted and became a somewhat small smirk. "Oh, that. So, you figured it out. I was planning to go ahead and tell Roy about it, but it seems you beat me to the punch. I guess I underestimated your intelligence."

"_You son of a...!_" Marth growled, the could not restrain himself any longer and swung a fist, only to have his wrist caught by Link. "**_Leggo!_**"

"Marth, cut it out! You don't know what magic he can use to blow you to pieces!" The furious prince struggled and almost got away, but Link held him back tighter, surprised at how aggressive Marth had suddenly become. Marth _never_ got this mad. Ever.

Vanuto, however, was totally unfazed by the cobalt's outburst, pushing past them as if he had a right to be in Roy's dorm and they didn't. As he got closer and closer to Roy, the redhead slightly trembled as the fear began to rise again. But he hid it behind a scowl. "What do you want?"

"Relax, Roy," Vanuto sighed exasperatedly. "I just wish to talk, that's all. Meet me on the roof in a few minutes. Come alone and unarmed."

Roy flinched, but the glare instantly returned. "And why should I?"

"Because then I'll be able to explain everything to you. Everything- the suspicions, your powers with flame, the wound- all will be told if you're willing to listen." And without even letting Roy respond to this, Vanuto left the dorm to meet him there.

And once again, Roy was left aghast and suddenly afraid, still sitting upon his bed. He didn't even notice his two friends _still_ struggling over each other.

"_Let me go!_" Marth hollered. "Just give me two minutes with the twerp, I'll kick his...!" His anger fizzled away the moment his eyes found Roy, the young Pherean trembling slightly like a child left out in the cold. As the prince immediately stopped his struggles, he realized how stupid he was to get so outraged when it would do nothing to help his friend in need.

Once Link knew his elder friend had cooled his jets, the blonde elf released his grip on Marth as the cobalt moved back to Roy's side. Link, though still surprised by Marth's outburst, decided to let the matter go and moved to Roy's other side.

"...Roy?" Marth asked softly, unable to see his face fully, for his mess of maroon locks drooped over his eyes. "You okay...?"

It was some time before Roy made any type of response, but the two gave him as much time as he needed. Finally, the redhead dragged his head up to glance upon his friends with that same troubled, fearful look... and yet, he looked a bit uncertain as well, and needed guidance. "...S-should I go...?" he asked in a tiny voice.

"Well..." Marth didn't quite know the answer to that. Is first thought was no, absolutely not, who knows what he's planning to do to you... But then again, this could've been the one and only chance they had to learn the truth behind the damn sorcerer.

"Of course you should!" Link suddenly piped up, surprising both humans. "Go ahead unarmed. We'll cover you."

Marth gave Link an incredulous stare, but it faded when the sly fey gave him a subtle wink. The Alteanian thought, then understood what the Hylian meant, giving him a nod. Roy wasn't facing this freak alone after all.

* * *

A/N: Finally! Stupid chapter and its longness!

Link: Not a word.

Ed: And what makes you think she gives a rat's ass whether it's a real word or not?

Link: Dunno. (sounds the alarm)

(kills it) NO THERE WAS NO LINK/MARTH PAIRING! STOP IT!

Link: 8D

Thery're just really good friends, sheesh! And I feel Marth in real life wouldn't care so damn much about his hair like everyone says. Urgh, I HATE it when people decipher him as a sissy-wuss!

Roy: Yeah, I probably wouldn't be his friend if he was a sissy-wuss.

FME: (getting laptime with Eli) Me neither. Marth's a cool guy.

Eliwood: Um... Any chance of you getting off me?

FME: NO:)

Eliwood: No... ;o;

XD Review, please!


	6. Metamorphosis

A/N: NEXT CHAPPIE NEXT CHAPPIE NEXT CHAPPIE!

Ed: ...?

Roy: 8D (holds up a ten-pound bag of sugar)

Link: O.O NOOOOOOOOO!

HEY WE GOT A NEW GUEST! YAY!

FME: (drags in Matthew from FE) Say hi, Matthew, you cutie you!

Matthew: ...Hi.

Eliwood: HAHAHA! Now you're a victim!

Matthew: ...Shut up.

Ed: Oh, just give it up. You'll be acting hyper very, very soon. How do you think he got that way? (points at Eliwood, whose dancing with Roy to White Stripes)

Matthew: Well, that's just great... (shrugs, goes off to dance as well)

8D YAY THIS CHAPPIE IS SO AWESOME! JUST YOU WATCH! (PS: Those who want to see my art, the URL is on my bio page.)

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 6: Metamorphosis

His eyes were closed as he felt the high winds blow around him, his long clothes and hair following their flow willingly. A smirk played across his young, pale face as he felt his hands grip his bone staff tighter in anticipation. _Soon I'll be able to soar on these same winds..._

But his delightful thoughts of the near future ended at the sound of a metal door opening and closing as the final key of his process. Entered the roof via the central tower of the three back towers of the SSBM Mansion. Though he heard light footsteps approach, Vanuto did not turn away from the southern skies the Mansion faced.

Roy stood stiff, feeling vulnerable, at the very least. He was missing his usual armor and cape, exposing the top of his tunic, the brown-sleeved shirt revealed to be a sort of undergarment for his blue tunic. No Sword of Seals rested on his hip. He felt like reaching for its hilt defensively, but knowing it wasn't there, he could only clenched his fists and bite his lip nervously. Before he could even announce his presence, Vanuto spoke first.

"So... the half-dragon decides to leave the safety of his den to seek answers..." he drawled eerily. "I admire you for being prompt. Now, as promised, all will be revealed."

Roy was left a little shaken from that first, cryptic remark, but came back to his senses and nodded, though Vanuto had his back turned to the Pherean. "Go on, I'm listening."

The sorcerer's gaze reached the heavens. "As I explained to you before, dragons disappeared off the face of this world a long time ago... at least on mortal ground. The Dragon Gods inhabit the heavens and watch over us, even after what the human race had done to their kind.

"The Dragon Gods aspired to preserve the knowledge, powers, and ancient lore of dragons, but since none more existed on Earth, they could not transfer the special blood through fated means. They required a different approach, a way to keep the bloodline flowing. And they found one.

"Every once in a while, the Dragon Gods choose an unborn child of destiny and plant the ancient blood in their veins. These chosen ones are indicated by the fiery flames of dragonbreath and the bright skies these graceful creatures once ruled..." is head lowered and he made a smooth turn to face Roy with both crimson eyes exposed by the billowing winds.

"...By vibrant red locks of hair and bright eyes of blue."

Roy's eyes bulged and he took step back in fear of the truth. So that meant...

"Yes..." A smirk came to Vanuto's face as he fully turned to face the shocked Roy. "You are one of these chosen ones, the ones that hold the special blood that grants them the powers of the mighty dragons."

So that's how he could summon fires at his will. Roy found himself staring down at his hands, finding the truth hard to believe. A chosen one, a youth like him was really a chosen one? For what reasons did the Dragon Gods choose _him_? Did this mixed blood serve a purpose in his destiny? He didn't know.

But that still didn't answer why Vanuto was so damn interested in him.

As if reading his mind, Vanuto continued, a smirk in his face. "Many dragon sorcerers are not favored enough to be given the blood, and in most cases the blood is wasted on those who refuse to answer its call. That's why you are so special."

Roy's fearful gaze snapped up to Vanuto in realization as he began to approach the half-dragon, an obsessed look drowning out his usually calm demeanor. "I have been searching for _years_ for a chosen one like you, one that has answered the cal and cultivated the ancient powers to their full potential. It makes the blood that much stronger. With blood like yours, I will become _unstoppable_."

Roy backed up as Vanuto came closer and closer until his back pressed against the wall of the back tower. He flinched in horror as the sorcerer stood above him, the sun framing his figure and casting eerie shadows across his features.

"Of course, I had my doubts before, since you didn't originate from Earth, but it seems the Dragon Gods extended their gifts far beyond the boundaries of this world..." His eyes and staff glowed in unison. "Now that I know for sure, I will no longer need to hesitate in my plans for you!"

_He's going to kill me!_ Roy's brain screamed as the crazed sorcerer prepared the final blow...

...But he stopped short, sensing something on the wind's breath. Instantly his brows furrowed and lips curled up in a snarl in disgust, and he raised his staff as it continued to glow a fiery crimson. From behind the tower hovered Link and Marth, panicking as they floated in midair, surrounded by the same colored auras. Their plan had been to climb up the northern wall of the Mansion, fully armed, and hide behind the tower until Roy needed protection, but now that they were found out, their little backup plan had failed.

Vanuto turned his scowl to Roy. "I thought I told you to come alone," he hissed.

"So, is _that_ it?" Marth bellowed from above, outraged beyond belief. "Is Roy just a _tool_ in your lust for power?"

"SILENCE!" Vanuto shrieked, thrusting his staff to the side. At that force, Link and Marth were thrown to the west side of the roof, forced out of the action. Despite the pain moving throughout his jarred limbs, Marth's furious scowl from before never wavered.

"I will _NOT_ have any interferences! Not when I've come this far!" Vanuto screeched.

"LINK! MARTH!" Roy cried out, only to regain Vanuto's attention and have the sorcerer pin him against the wall with the magic the staff produced. He began to whimper as he realized he was helpless to whatever Vanuto had in store for him. The terrible grin on his face suggested something vile and wicked.

"I need your blood, but with the state it's in now, it would be useless. Your human blood stands out and shapes your physical form and mind..." His staff began to glow once more. "We need to bring out the dragon blood, to expose it in its purest form..."

There was a surge of electricity in the air now, radiating off the bone staff and leaping towards Roy as if trying to grasp him in their spell. As the magic sparks crept onto his skin, the Pherean gasped in pain and the process began to take its course, Vanuto chanting through it all.

"_Dragon kin that once ruled this earth..._"

Roy cringed in immense inner pain, losing the strength in his legs, and collapsed to his knees. He cried out as every fiber in his body felt as though they were being stretched to their limit and beyond.

"_ROY!_" Marth cried out in horror, but Link held him back, knowing that if they interfered, who knew what it could do to either them or Roy. and so, the Alteanian and Hylian could do nothing but sit there and watch helplessly their friend undergo a peculiar transformation.

"_The mighty Gods have conceived you in this human vessel..._"

Roy cried out in agony as he felt the shifting of his spine and pelvic bone, his body stretching and growing slightly in size. There were a series of nasty cracking sounds as the rest of his bones, muscles, and joints curved and twisted to nature's command.

"_And here you have rested as your powers carved themselves..._"

Roy's fingernails dug into the stone floor, but not for long, as hooked claws tore through his nail bed painfully, and his hands grew in size, tearing through his gloves. His boots as well were torn to pieces, the end of his pants shredded just above newly-sprouted talons where his feet once were.

"_But now is the time to be free..._"

There was another ripping sound as a tail with a hooked end stretched itself out to about ten feet in length. Then two bony structures came out from Roy's back just below the shoulder blades, and from them sprouted majestic, leather wings that stretched to their fullest, then retracted as the pain continued throughout Roy's changing body.

"_Now is the time to come out of hiding..._"

It was impossible to see Roy's face as his mess of hair (which had grown even more untamable) hung over his face, though one could see the droplets forming on the ground below him as he cried tears of extreme pain.

"_REVEAL YOURSELF TO THE WORLD, DRAGON!_"

Upon this last command, there was a great flash and one last agonizing scream, and then the electricity in the air vanished to be replaced with the gentle winds once more. When the light died down, Link and Marth gawked at the metamorphosis their friend had undertaken.

Sometime during the procedure, his skin had become purple and scaly. His tunic, undershirt, and halfway-torn pants were the clothes that had stubbornly remained on his body, though they seemed a little awkward on his newly-shaped form. His breathing was labored as he took in big breaths of air, but it seemed his own voice had still remained through his painful gasps. At last, he found the strength to lift his head up and reveal his face. A short, round snout protruded out, and his eyes had grown large, yet were still the shade of ocean blue. Somehow, someway, Roy's youthful features were still recognizable through his transformation.

Roy the dragon glanced up at the most amazed gawk on the young Vanuto's face. At this, Roy's terrified gaze came down on himself, and his huge eyes widened a bit more at his transformed body.

_What... What the hell's happened to me...? I'm a.. a..._

"A dragon..." Vanuto breathed, his eerie grin joined by cold eyes of awe. "I... never thought I'd see a real one..." He couldn't help but caress a chilling hand across Roy's scaly cheek. Normally he wouldn't let his solid exterior fall like this, but the dragon sorcerer had to savor this moment: his first glance upon the beautiful creature of his desires.

"_Don't lay a hand on him!_" A shout broke his trance and drew attention back to the spectators. Marth's sword was drawn, an icy glare on his usually cool face as the prince sprinted towards the object of all his concentrated hate at the moment. Vanuto returned the scowl, responding to Marth's outburst by raising his staff and stopping him in his tracks with that same magical aura of red. He was suspended in the air, struggling desperately, until a white-hot surge of energy shocked every nerve in his body. It hurt a lot, that was evident in his painful screams.

"_MARTH!_" Both his friends cried out as Marth groaned and fell from the air like a stone and into Link's arms, left weak from the sorcerer's spell.

_Before I proceed, I must take care of these two wretched spoilers!_ Knowing this, Vanuto raised his staff once more and cast a different spell on Link and Marth, and in a flash, the two were gone. Their weapons and armor fell to the floor in a series of audible clanking noises, the only signs they left behind.

"NO!" Roy fumbled to try and more his new four-legged body with some difficulty, tripping to where they were standing only seconds before. "Where'd they g- unh!" With a hard whack to the back of his light skull, Roy's already uneasy head began to cloud up, and he felt every new part of his body go limp. He saw a pair of green-booted feet above him before blackness consumed his consciousness...

* * *

A/N: YAY ROY YOU'RE A DRAGON NOW!

Roy: O.O SAWEET!

Eliwood: But... he... I... GAH, I'M CONFUSED!

I actually wrote this before I started playing Fire Emblem, and now I know who Roy's mom is, my story is kinda whacked... Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter.

Link: Who's his mom?

FME: No spoilers! Play the game yourself if you wanna know!

Link: Aw... fart.

Ed and Matthew: (jamming to Metallica)

XD If you go to the site list at the bottom of my bio, you can see a picture of Roy as a dragon if you want! So, review!


	7. Evil Summoning

A/N: Aie... It's been so long... Stupid school...

Ed: Eliwood almost ran away during your absence.

FME: But I caught him! (places a hog-tied Eliwood on the floor) Aren't I good?

Yes, you are! (gives her a biscotti)

Roy: I WANNA BISCOTTI!

Biscotti for all! (biscotti fall from the air)

Roy and Ed: YAY! (chow down)

Matthew: Wait... w-what?

Link: Hey, it don't have to make sense. (munch) Want one?

Matthew: Eh. (munch) Mmm, hey, that's a good biscotti!

Eliwood: Mmmfrp!

Anyway, it's time for the next chapter! YAY!

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 7: Evil Summoning

Marth groaned involuntarily as he struggled to awaken. Everything that had happened all seemed like a blur to him, but he seemed to remember that something happened to Roy, and judging by the dull feeling in the air, he wasn't anywhere near the SSBM Mansion anymore.

"_Marth... Marth..._" Someone nearby was trying to speak to him, but he found it hard to decipher what they were saying. He forced himself to open his heavy eyelids and glance around his surroundings. They seemed to be in a canyon area as he looked out past the cliff he rested on, though the crevasse in the earth was covered by a blanket of mist, making the atmosphere cold and damp. The canyon-side was lush with grasses, moss, and ferns, and a willow tree drooped its thin branches above him like a canopy. He had to admit, the sight looked beautiful, but his brief moment of security ended when he tried to move and found he could not and it hurt to try.

"Marth, don't move!" The same, now familiar voice warmed him, and he slowly turned his head to see Link beside him, tense as he sat in a mess of vine-like weeds wrapped around several places on his body, as if holding him in place. Marth glanced down to find himself in a weed patch of his own, but the vines seemed alive, squeezing him in a steady rhythm like a heartbeat. Any attempt of movement would result in strangulation.

Marth sighed inwardly. _I guess this is what we get for pissing off a sorcerer..._ "So... where are we?" He couldn't think of anything else to do or say at the moment.

"I dunno..." Link glanced around warily. "Call me crazy, but... I think we're in the Flammorian Mountains."

"Say what? I thought those mountains were bare!"

"They used to be. I did a little side research while looking up Vanuto. Apparently, when dragons still existed, this place had a large population of them, so the area was bare during that time. When they were gone, the ashes they left behind fertilized the land, and it re-grew twice as much foliage as before."

"You don't say..." Marth muttered, glancing out tiredly into the foggy sky. "So what do we do now?"

"Who knows..." Link cringed as the vines squeezed a little too hard. "It's obvious Vanuto left us to our death, and it's not like there's anyone out here to help us."

"I'm more worried about Roy," the Alteanian sighed, gaining the elf's attention. "I hope he's okay..."

Link couldn't help but share his friend's feelings. With Roy in such a state with a new body, he was most likely left vulnerable to whatever Vanuto had in store for him. And now the two were half a world away were they could do nothing but wait for their gruesome demise.

Link winced as something seemed to bite into his arm. He glared down at it, and the vine currently wrapped around it recoiled as if intimidated. His eyes widened at the cut left in his flesh, and that's when he noticed the large thorns growing off the vines.

A gruesome demise indeed.

----------

Roy awakened slowly, allowing his weak mind to recollect itself before bothering to open his eyes. As the memories came back to him at full force, his nostrils as strong as a bloodhound's detected a series of unpleasant smells mixed with cold stone, and he swore he could hear bursting and bubbling boils. He tried to move his arms, but found he couldn't, and for some odd reason he tried to flap his wings, but they wouldn't move either, pressing against close walls.

"So, the dragon awakens," a painfully familiar voice spoke to him. "I hope you aren't too uncomfortable."

Finally, Roy opened his eyes to survey his surroundings. He realized he was in a small room with stone walls (obviously not visited in some time), and Roy suddenly felt cramped in these small confines, probably as a result of his slightly bigger body. The single window outside showed the midnight blue skies and twinkling stars of the nighttime. Right underneath the window was a table cluttered with flasks and chemicals, giving off the impression of a lab of some sorts. And there, mixing all the compounds together, stood Vanuto, facing the table. He put down the bottle he was mixing and turned to face Roy calmly, taking a few steps toward him, to which the dragon recoiled slightly in his trapped position, with his wrists tied behind his back, his ankles tied with his tail, and wings trapped against his too-close-for-comfort walls.

"Hmmp." Vanuto frowned in distaste. "You may be a dragon, but you are a poor specimen of one compared to the real thing. But I suppose it's because the human blood is stubborn to reveal itself."

Roy felt a growl from deep in his throat. "Where are my friends?"

"I wouldn't worry about them if I were you. The Deadly Strangle plants of the Flammorians have most likely cut them to ribbons by now."

"You dirty...!"

"But right now I have other things to attend to." He reached down under the cuff of his boot to produce the knife that had cut his flesh earlier. Roy recoiled further, and he would've been sweating like crazy if his skin still had the proper glands.

"Oh, stop it, I'm not going to kill you," Vanuto sighed irritably as a response to the frightened look on the dragon's face. "All I need is a sample of the pure dragon blood, that's all."

Roy shivered at simply the thought. Vanuto stepped up, grabbed his tunic, just above the belt, and forcefully yanked it apart to show Roy's yellow belly. Within the underbody folds was highly noticeable indent with a near see-through membrane coating it instead of flesh. This made Roy think back to the random stories he read or heard, remembering how dragons were slain with a single strike to the weak point on their bellies. It was when he realized that the indent was the weak point of legend in which he began to panic.

But before he could get a chance to protest or try to squirm away, Vanuto stuck him like a pig in that same spot with his dagger. Roy let out a cry of pain as he pushed the tiny blade in as far as it could go, the pain rippling across his skin like a rapidly-spreading infection. He glanced down as Vanuto slowly pulled the dagger out as it dripped green...blood? Was that his blood? It must've been, as Vanuto seemed quite satisfied by his bounty, turning back to the table.

"And relax, you aren't going to die," he noted out of the blue, catching Roy's attention. "That was the only place I could've extracted anything. The wound's not deep enough to be serious."

Roy ignoring the semi-assuring comment and opted to watching the sorcerer closely as he stirred the coated blade in the concoction. When he removed it, it was covered in a sticky green film that almost seemed to glow. With a quite eager look on his face, Vanuto took the knife and stabbed himself in the shoulder, much to Roy's initial surprise. He cringed as an obvious response, but grinned widely as he allowed the substance to slip into his bloodstream, like an injection. With his other hand, he gripped the bone staff that leaned against the wall and concentrated. And once more, the gem glowed menacingly and the electric surge in the air returned.

Roy witnessed in horror as Vanuto dropped to his knees, dropping the contaminated knife with a clatter, but still clutching the staff tightly as if his life depended on it. The scared dragon found himself unable to watch Vanuto's transformation as he quickly looked away, but was still left to the dreadful sounds of clothing tearing and the agonizing screams.

Then, when it was all over, Roy heard a thundering roar of annoyance and felt the ceiling bricks fall onto his face.

----------

"You see anything up there?"

"No... but I've got an odd feeling..."

"I just sent Fox up there with the scanners. He's coming to check out the radiation and such."

"I really don't think radiation caused it, Mario."

"Well, whatever it was, we all saw it. Check back once Fox gets a good view."

"Right." Samus shut off her walkie-talkie and slipped it back on her belt.

Apparently the incident on the roof didn't go unnoticed. Nearly all Smashers occupying various rooms of the Mansion had seen the flash outside, and it was too suspicious to be ignored. Along with the fact that Link, Marth, Roy, and Vanuto had for some reason gone missing since this morning.

Mario handled the situation by sending out various groups of Smashers to different areas around the Mansion to locate the source of the odd phenomenon, if not find the missing Smashers. Samus was sent alone (by request) to the roof, which had seemed the most likely place, as Marth and Link's weapons were found here earlier. As she waited for Fox, she glanced down idly at the rest of the Smashers gathered on the lawn, waiting for answers. From up here, she couldn't catch their idiotic conversations, and she liked it that way. Their half-wit opinions were a waste of her time. Thank goodness they were sending up an intellectual who would gather the facts instead of jumping to conclusions.

Soon enough, the door of the main rear tower opened as Fox excited and stepped onto the roof, checking his wristband computer as he gave her a nod in greeting. "Where were Link and Marth's weapons found?"

Samus smiled to herself. Straight and to the point. She liked that. "Right here." She directed him to the spot that had been chalked up. Fox knelt down and check his scanners on his computer. His brows furrowed.

"Huh. Weird..."

"What?"

"I've got their energy readings, but they're very faint. If they were gone after 9 o' clock this morning, the readings would be stronger than this..."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"...They were here, and then they suddenly weren't. They were moved too quickly from this spot."

Samus rubbed the back of her neck in thought. "Maybe they teleported," she ventured.

"Yeah." Fox stood sternly. "Or they were teleported by someone else."

Wow. And he figured that all out just through the readings. Samus was silently impressed.

But that sense of accomplishment faded when Fox's ears perked up, and he instantly turned towards the far tower, where he must've sensed something amiss. Samus moved to approach the tower, but the kitsune held her back, a silent warning she did not protest to. He looked at his scanners, which were beeping like crazy.

"Fox? You up there yet?" Mario's voice asked through his walkie-talkie.

Fox snatched it off his belt, turning his gaze away briefly. "We've got massive energy ratings from the eastern tower; something's going on over there."

"Um... Fox?"

"What?" He turned back to the tower, and his skin paled underneath his fur.

The tower had been faintly rumbling for quite some time, but now it shook furiously as if something was trying to get out. At last, that something broke through the ceiling, sending chunks of stone into the air in a fountain-like blast. And when the smoke and dust cleared, a giant pair of pale wings unfolded to stretch in the outside air of freedom.

Fox and Samus stumbled over each other, trying to move in the opposite direction as the broken tower, when whatever creature the wings belonged to leaped off its perch and swerved towards them in a silvery blur.

"_Duck!_" Samus pulled down Fox with her as the blur flew above them with a windy sweep. Having the breath knocked out of him, the vulpine sat up wide-eyed in terror of dodging one close call. But then that horror was met with another one: the image of a colossal silhouette against the full, silvery moon.

Fox gaped. "No...way..."

Samus growled under her breath, noting the screams and shouts from below. _Damn... My suit better be charged up for this...

* * *

_

A/N: Ooh, I left you in the most EVIL cliffhanger!

Link: EVIL! (smashes random things with a baseball bat)

Matthew: WEE! ME TOO! (grabs a bat and joined him)

Eliwood: Crazy people... (eating a biscotti)

FME: O.o How'd you get free?

Eliwood: The magic of a plothole.

Ed: Eeeevil plotholes...

Link and Matthew: EEEEVIIL! (smash Eli)

Eliwood: AH! OW! OUCH!

Roy: XDDDD

Haha! Review, people! Sorry for the short update! And I promise, everyone's gonna be ok! Promise!


	8. Friends' Courage

A/N: AAAAHHHHHH(spazz)

Matthew: O.o What's up with her?

Ed: School keeps preventing her to update.

FME: (pokes me) NOOOO! YOU MUST BE AWAKE SO WE CAN RP! ;-;

Eliwood: Saaaaad.

Roy: Awwwww... (hugs her)

FME: ROY-SAMA! (squeeze)

Roy: GACK!

Link: Woo! I'm not being strangled!

Eliwood: ... (grabs my limp body, throws it on top of him)

Link: X.X

Ed and Matthew: XD

Eliwood: Here's the chappie:)

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 8: Friends' Courage

Roy's face slowly peeked out from behind his wing, moved to be a protective barrier and covered in dust and soot. Crawling out of the pile of scattered rubble, Roy briefly stretched his wings needingly, then peered warily over the shattered wall.

There he was. Vanuto the dragon sped towards the grounded Smashers, outmatching all of them in immense size. They boldly faced the pale-white creature with silvery hair and glowing crimson eyes, but Roy knew that before long, it would be a losing battle. Against his wishes, he would have to be the one to stop him.

But he had something else on his mind at the moment. He had two friends to save, if there was still time. The Smashers could hold out until then.

Roy worked quickly, nibbling at his wrist-bounds, then clawing at his ankle and tail wraps. Once he was free, he pulled his tunic together to hide his weak spot, then stood rigid atop the Tower, glancing out to the west. That's where the Flammorian Mountains were, across the Pacific Ocean, in some uncharted area of Southeast Asia. And there was an eastern wind present to carry him there.

With his new resolve, Roy crouched, outstretching his wings to their fullest length. Then, after taking a deep breath of anticipation, he leaped into the air gracefully and let the winds carry him on their breath. Curving his body and limbs in an aerodynamic way, Roy shut his eyes fleetingly and reveled in the feeling of his hair, clothes, and tail billowing about in the winds' dance. He laughed happily at the sense of freedom as he shifted his weight and performed a few barrel rolls without a care in the world. Never had he experienced anything like this as a human, and boy, was it exhilarating.

He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the ocean far below him, tiny islands dotting the tapestry of blue here and there. How far up in the atmosphere _was_ he? Hundreds of miles? _Thousands_ of miles? He could've seen the whole world from up here!

But not the way he was going. As he continued to glide, he noticed his altitude dropping slightly, bit by bit, as the water below grew closer and closer. If he didn't act quickly, he'd hit the water, and if he couldn't swim so well as a human, then there was no way he'd be able to pull it off in the body of a dragon.

With much concentration and some strain, Roy felt the muscles at the base of his wings contract and rotate the bones in their sockets, and he heard the mighty sound of his wings flapping. Instantly, he regained altitude, flowing above the sparkling waters. Realizing this, Roy grinned at his sense of accomplishment and did a few more rolls. For a moment, he lost all thoughts and concerns to the wonderful sensation of flight.

But as the coast appeared over the horizon, he remembered his original goal and approached the Flammorian Mountains once they came into sight. Opposed to what he heard, these formations were green and lush with temperature-tolerant foliage. Roy frowned inwardly; this was going to be tougher than he thought.

He flew in lower, eagle eyes scouting for any signs of his two lost buddies. But he didn't have to search far before he crossed a canyon and spotted movement on the northern cliff. His sight pierced through the thick mists to see two humanoid figures, a blonde and cobalt, submerged in a mess of vines that were curved around them like greedy fingers, tinted with red. Both appeared to be weak, non-moving. Roy was curious as to why, and that's when he remembered what Vanuto had called those plants.

_Deadly Strangle plants._

Grimacing in realization, Roy felt a hot sensation burning deep within his being rose into his throat as he dived for them.

----------

Link had given up against this death trap a long time ago, but was somehow still alive, as if the plant had the sick mind to let him stew in his grave. All the elf could do was lean against the tree and observe the sting of all his open wounds, made worse by my chokehold the vines held on his body, sucking the life out of him like a parasite. It wouldn't be long before he was drained completely, dry as a drawn-up well.

But despite his fatal position, he kept glancing at Marth, who had lost consciousness quite a while ago. Link wanted so much to make sure he was okay, but any movement would only dig the thorns deeper into his skin and cause more ache. All seemed lost...

And that's when his Hylian ears caught the distant sound of large wings flapping against the wind, approaching at an alarming rate. Link squinted through the haze and spotted a dark blur diving right towards them, and closer it got, the more its features became clear, and a grin came to the blonde's face.

"ROY!" he cried out happily, ignoring the pain he generated from his jumpy movements.

Once Roy the dragon had gotten close enough, he stopped short of the cliff and hovered right above them. And when Link got a good look at his contorted face, he looked away in anticipation as he knew what was going to happen next.

In the next moment, Roy threw back his head, then released his explosive breath at the plants holding his friends captive. The fiery embers tore into the vines, turning them into dark ashes instantly, yet they didn't touch either Link or Marth. When the flames died down, Link felt a thump on the ground, and looked up into the scaly, purple, beaming face of Roy.

"Hey," he greeted. "Sorry it took me a while, I kinda overslept."

"..." Link gave himself a second to recover, then... "...Oh my Goddesses, ROY!" He leaped to his feet and grasped his pal's cheeks. "Is that really you?"

"The one and only. You okay?" he asked, noting the numerous wounds on his elfin friend, including the highly-noticeable one on his forehead, its clotted blood plastering his bangs close to his skin.

"I'm fine," Link shrugged it away, instead turning to a still unconscious Marth. "I'm not sure about him, though..."

The two leaned by the prince's form, examining him over for any abnormalities. Of course, like Link, he had many wounds from the Deadly Strangle plants, including a large gash across his left cheek. Yet unlike the Hylian, Marth seemed weak, the majority of his strength sapped away.

"He was probably left weak after that spell from Vanuto earlier," Link sighed inwardly, running a hand through the non-bloody side of his bangs. "That only worsened his condition..."

Scared of his friend's mortality, Roy leaned closer, his snout inches away from Marth's tranquil face. He nuzzled his pale skin, hoping to get a reaction. "Come on, Marth, wake up!"

And at last, after a few more nuzzles, Marth stirred slightly, and he gave out a small groan as he slowly began to awaken. His sapphire eyes opened ever so slightly, and as they began to focus, the first thing he awoke to was a cute dragon face, centimeters away from his own. So he did what anyone would naturally do. He screamed.

"Hey, chill out, it's Roy!" Link explained as he grabbed Marth's arm, preventing him from fleeing the scene.

Hearing this, the Alteanian prince slowly turned back to glance upon his transformed friend, a relieved smile on that scaly face. "...Roy?"

The smile grew as the redheaded dragon nodded in response. At this, the bitterness melted from Marth's face as a smile engulfed his handsome features.

"ROY!" he cried, throwing his arms around his laughing friend, who nuzzled his shoulder in return. "You're okay! We were so worried!"

"Really? Gosh, I'm touched," he chuckled. Apparently, it didn't matter what creature he was. He was still their goofy friend Roy.

Once the two broke it off, Link asked instantly, "So, what happened?"

"Did Vanuto hurt you?" Marth questioned immediately.

"Well... _technically_ he did... But all he needed was just a sample of the pure blood, apparently."

"Wait a sec," Marth paused. "He turned you into this, just to get a _sample?_"

Roy thought about this, snout shifting this way and that, then he shrugged. "Yep, looks that way."

Marth only gawked at the atrocity; there was no other way he could respond to it.

"Well, anyway, he took it and infused himself with it, and now _he's_ a dragon."

Link's angular eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

Marth's arms were thrown into the air in dismay. "_Well, that's just terrific!_"

"The rest of the Smashers are holding him off right now, but I don't know how much longer that will last. I came to get you 'cause Vanuto said you were sent here... And it looks like I came on time, too."

Link grinned. "So, you gonna go kick his butt now?"

Roy flinched and shrunk back slightly.

"Yeah, now that that power-crazed lunatic is a dragon, he could destroy everything!" Marth exclaimed.

Roy didn't respond to this and seemed hesitant all of the sudden, coiling back. "...I..."

Link's smile faded as Marth took a step forward. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Roy shrunk in shame. "...I can't..."

"What...?"

"I can't, I just can't!" Roy bellowed, turning away from their confused faces and perching on the edge of the mossy cliff, staring out into the misty air with deep anxiety within his ocean eyes.

"Roy..." Marth approached his side, Link on the other. "Come on, you can do it, it can't be too hard for someone like you..."

"You didn't see him transform!" Roy snapped. "He's, like, three times my size! There's no way I can fight him!" He lowered his head. "I can't, I just... can't..."

"Aw, come on, don't be that way!" Link exclaimed. "You're the only one that comes close to matching him! Only you can beat him! You have to try!"

"B-but..."

"Roy," Marth spoke softly, but sternly. "Don't say you can't, because you can. We believe in you. But you have to believe in yourself first. You have to believe that you have the strength and courage to conquer your fears and doubts."

Roy was quiet at that, only staring into the grey sky.

"It's up to you to decide that, but know that we know you can do it. Remember when your father became sick and you had to take control of the entire Pherean army? When all odds were against you, you took the chance. Just because dragon are involved now doesn't make things any different."

Roy paused in thought.

"Yeah, and beside, _you're_ the real deal!" Link grinned. "Vanuto stole _your_ blood in order to become a dragon, and everyone knows cheap knockoffs never win against the original!"

"We know you have the courage to do it. Do _you?_"

Roy glanced further up into the sky, then looked between his two friends and smiled. "...Alright."

"Alright!" Marth smiled while Link patted him on the tender shoulder. He showed his gratitude by hugging them closer with his leathery wings. And he truly was grateful, for no matter what happened, whatever the case might've been, he always had his friends beside him for comfort and motivation.

When that exchange was over, Roy crouched down and folded his wings to provide space on his back. "Hop on."

Marth and Link's eyes bulged simultaneously, a grin spreading across the latter's face. "Are you serious?"

"Well, how else are you getting home, by bus?"

"_Sweet!_" Link laughed as he quickly climbed on like an eager child awaiting a horsie ride. Marth, on the other hand, just stood there, frozen in... fear?

"Come on, Marth, climb abroad the DragRoy Express!"

"Ooh, no," Link cringed, shaking his head. "No, Roy, just... no."

Roy sweatdropped. "Sorry."

One could almost see Marth gulp, then he sighed and approached Roy's side, Link offering a hand and helping him up. The cobalt uneasily settled in front of the blonde, clutching Roy's clothing with white knuckles.

Roy outstretched his wings, testing the wind. "There's still an eastern wind, so I'm gonna pass through the canyon to get the speed I need to pass over the ocean," he noted to himself, turning back and giving his riders a smile. "You guys ready?"

Link leaned forward, biting his grinning lip in giddy anticipation. Marth laid fully on top of his mount, clutching tightly and shutting his eyes tighter in a more frightening anticipation.

"Here we go!"

And upon that, Roy leaped off the mossy ground and dived straight down into the canyon mists. Link whooped and hollered in excitement as if riding a roller coaster, while Marth screamed in terror as the rocky bottom of the canyon came into view when the mists parted. But Roy knew that long before and swerved upright just in time, giving a flap of his wings to maintain his speed and balance. Though Roy obviously had complete control of his flight, Marth still trembled at the close call as the wind blew his hair and torn clothes about wildly.

"_WOO! Oh, man, this is **SWEET**!_" Link howled into the air, obviously enjoying himself. He looked at Marth and noticed his tight grip on Roy's clothes and his eyes bulging in horror. "Hey, what's the matter, Marth, you don't like flying?"

The prince vigorously shook his head, burying his face in the cotton textiles in fear.

The Roy turned back and exclaimed over the wind, "You're never gonna conquer your fear unless you confront it!"

_Dammit!_ Marth cringed as Roy caught him dead on.

The dragon gained altitude little by little as the ground grew farther away, and when he reached his top speed, Roy swept out of the canyon like a whispering leaf caught in the wind. Marth somehow felt the change in the air, and very slowly, very shakily, he uncovered his face and glanced down past his mount to realize how far they were up from the ground. The forests rolled on below them like a wooly blanket of green under the dark night sky, slightly lit up by the shining full moon. Instantly, Marth's fears began to disappear as he gazed at the world unraveling itself below him in awe, watching as they came to the Pacific Ocean, the stars gleaming off its clear surface like a moving mirror. Roy flapped his wings in a rhythmic pattern, making a wide, deep sound that rushed past their ears and seemed to cause their spirits to calm themselves, and all the other thoughts and concerns his behind the graceful feeling before them. One would assume there was no great battle coming up...

* * *

A/N: Loooooooong chaaapter... X.X (falls on Link)

Link: Ah... ouch...

Ed: She needs to stop falling unconscious.

Eliwood: Why? It's frigging hilarious!

Ed: Eh... I guess. :D

FME: NOOOOOOOO! (tackles my limp body)

Link: OOF! x.x

Roy: GASP! (takes in deep breaths of air)

Matthew: Wow, her hugs must be dangerous... Poor Link...

Eliwood: XD Anydangways, REVIEW, FOOS! (swings pimp stick)

Matthew: ...


	9. Clash of the Dragons

A/N: BWAHAHA! You thought I forgot. You thought I didn't care. But I PROVED YOU ALL WRONG! 8D

FME: But you're never on to RP!

...so what?

Matthew: Wait... w-what?

Roy: Who knows?

Ed: And who really cares?

Link: Wow, NN1! You actually gave Eliwood a new outfit!

Eliwood: I know, huh? (poses in his new outfit) Check me OUT! (shine)

Roy: Ooooh... (puts on sunglasses)

Ed: Whoop-di-flippin-doo.

Oh, silence yourself. Here's the chappie!

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 9: Clash of the Dragons

The West Coast soon approached on the horizon as their flight continued on. The flight was nice and smooth, so there was no more excited hollering from Link, who was in fact catching up on his rest and leaning on top of Marth, sleeping soundlessly. The prince did not disturb the elf, simply watching cities and plains go by as he yawned every so often to pop his ears. Thank goodness there were no people out to notice a dragon flying above them and freak out. That wouldn't go over so well.

"Hey, you guys alright back there?" Roy spoke up, snapping Marth out of his tired trance.

"Huh...? Oh, yeah, we're fine. Link's out like a light."

"Heh..."

"You're awfully quiet yourself."

"Yeah... just a little nervous..."

"Just give it your all, Roy. Vanuto doesn't deserve any mercy from you after all he's done to you."

"..." Roy went quiet again after that, and Marth silently questioned why.

But his thoughts were interrupted again by a screeching roar off in the distance. Roy stopped his flight abruptly, still flapping his wings to stay airborne.

"Zzrgh... ugh, are we there ye- WAH!" Link nearly lost his balance, wrapping his arms around Marth's waist while the cobalt grasped Roy's clothes like reins on a horse.

"What happened?"

"Up ahead!" The two riders looked past Roy to see the sight of the SSBM Mansion's front yard. Many Smashers laid injured in the grass, with others cowering and others still trying to combat the massive, silvery white beast, scaly body rippling with power and red eyes hungry for blood. Marth and Link gaped.

"Holy..." was all Marth could say.

"Whoa, you're right. He _is_ big."

Roy let that comment slide past, thinking of how to approach the battle without harming anyone in the way, namely his two mutual buddies perched on his back. An idea reaching his mind, he turned his head and addressed his riders.

"Alright, I'm gonna swoop down on Vanuto before he notices me. When I say 'now,' you jump off, okay?"

Marth blinked. "You can't be serious."

Roy gave him an incredulous stare that seemed serious enough. "You'd rather get caught in the crossfire of a dragon fight?"

"...Touché."

"Get ready, I'm gonna go for it..."

----------

Yes, _yes!_ It was all so wondrous! These ridiculous little Smashers attempting to bring him down, despite the fact that their attacks bounced off him like bullets off titanium, _ha!_ Vanuto contained more power than he could ever comprehend, and brand new bestial instincts told him to attack these little aggressors and cause total chaos. And that's just what he did, and his soul rejoiced at every adversary knocked out of the air and every cry of pain.

But so distracted was he in this inhumane enjoyment, even when he heard his new opponent coming, it was too late.

"_Now!_" the new one bellowed, and two others appeared in the air and hit the ground with light thuds, rolling in the grass a bit as if they had jumped out of a moving car. And before he knew it, a dark blur slammed into Vanuto from the side with enough force to knock him over. A dust cloud flew up as the two crashed to the ground and shook the earth with a wild tremor. The darker beast then rolled off the pale one and skid across the slick grass, folding his wings and crouching as if ready to pounce again. A deep growl rumbled inside his throat and his sapphire orbs seemed to burn with fury under his raggedy red locks.

"Whoa, is that Roy?"

"Wow, he's a dragon too! How cool!"

"But how...?"

"Hey, back off!" Marth directed the Smashers away from the two dragons. "Don't get in their way if you want any chance of living!"

Surprised by such a demand, the other Smashers could do nothing but follow the orders of the prince, and wisely backed off to become spectators of the clash between Roy and Vanuto once again.

Vanuto got to his feet, talons digging five-foot-deep holes into the ground with sheer anger. Roy glanced into those hateful crimson eyes that somehow resembled Vanuto, but it wasn't like him in the slightest. Whenever Roy got caught in the human Vanuto's gaze, there had always been devious and mysterious thoughts behind those eyes, something these eyes lacked. These eyes had no sly plans, no hidden agendas, just one thing: Kill. Hurt. Destroy. Before, Roy wouldn't think it to be possible to fear Vanuto anymore than he already did, but here he was instantly proven wrong.

Somehow Vanuto knew his opponent was wide open, and lunged at Roy, brandishing razor-sharp claws and elonged fangs. Though surprised, Roy caught him and allowed his weight to push him down, then used the momentum to kick him away, then swiveled to whip him with his tail for good measure. Vanuto hit the ground with another wild tremor, and after it wore off, the Smashers below cheered their dragon friend on.

Vanuto recovered quickly, incensed beyond belief. He firmly planted all four claws on the ground, then threw back his head and blew out his flame breath at his opponent. Roy blocked the blast with a well-maneuvered wing, then felt the heat within him wanting to get out, and he willingly released it at Vanuto. The foe let out another round of flames himself, and the blasts met each other fiercely in midair, pushing against each other. It seemed that Roy struggled to keep his flame breath going, whereas Vanuto showed no strain. At last, Vanuto's attacked prevailed, and Roy was struck with fire, falling to the ground. Though it seemed to have no effect on his exterior, his remaining clothes turned to ash and he coughed as if the breath was knocked out of him.

"What's going on...?" one of the Smashers randomly asked.

Though still in slight shock of the whole situation, Fox tried to explain as best as he could. "Um... I, uh, don't think Roy's quite yet used to _breathing_ fire... and in that case, Vanuto's got the advantage this time!"

The Smashers mostly began to panic, not knowing what would happen if their last stand against Vanuto the Dragon would fall. But Marth was determined not to lose hope in Roy, thinking about what Fox had said.

_Not used to breathing fire... He can't control it too well... But he can with his sword... That's it!_

"Marth..." Link urged subtly, eyes glued to the fight. "...What do we do now...?"

"Just make sure Roy doesn't die," Marth answered hastily, taking off towards the Mansion. "I'll be right back!"

"...Right..." Link blinked, then did a double take once the prince's words fully processed through his brain. "HUH?" He turned away briefly to question Marth, but his friend was already long gone.

Before Roy had a chance to fully recover he felt his opponent roughly tackle him from the side, and he grunted in pain as he hit the ground again. Tumbling onto his back, he glanced up in horror to find Vanuto on top of him, out for his blood. Scared witlessly, Roy was left hopeless as the evil dragon slashed into him with claws and teeth that were strong enough to break through dragon skin and drain out jade blood...

"Oh, no! Roy!"

"He's getting ripped apart!"

"What's he doing?"

"COME ON, ROY!" Link hollered loud enough for his friend to hear. "DON'T LET HIM BULLY YOU AROUND! FIGHT BACK! YOU CAN DO IT!" He turned to the others. "Come on, you guys! ROY'S OUR BOY! ROY'S OUR BOY!"

Knowing what to do, the Smashers joined Link in his chanting, their voices dimming into one dull roar of encouragement directed at their friend. Of course, the sound reached Roy's ears, as well as Vanuto's. Annoyed, the evil dragon turned his attention to the crowded Smashers, long face contorted as he was about to unleash another fire blast to exterminate the pests. As Roy noticed this, his fear was instantly replaced by anger.

"_You leave them alone!_" he snarled, then pushed Vanuto off with a newly-awakened strength. This motion sent Vanuto back to the ground, his embers shooting harmlessly into the sky. As Roy regained his strong battle stance, the Smashers cheered once more.

"ROY!" A voice called out to him and before he could fully turn around, a familiar sword planted itself in the earth by his clawed hand. Roy blinked in surprise at the sight of his beloved Sword of Seals, looking up to find Marth a safe distance away, an aura of determination radiating from his stance. With an equal amount of perseverance, Roy nodded and took the sword with a mangled hand, but a righteous spirit.

Recovering, Vanuto's temper heated and flared, his wings stretching in bestial agitation. Roy crouched down to prepare for any advancement his opponent made, blue eyes attentive to a certain spot on the white dragon's belly...

To his wishes, Vanuto snapped and dove with claws outstretched. Roy swept to the side to dodge the initial attack, then swung his arm in a wide arc and thrust his sword right into the sweet spot; through the membrane cover and into the gut of Vanuto.

There was a drastic change of expression on Vanuto's face, his red eyes bulging as the steel blade dug into his innards and drained chartreuse blood. Roy glared and pushed the sword in further until the hilt touched scaly skin, blood leaking between his fingers.

And then he felt the hot feeling in his throat again, but with much strain, he pushed it back down where he could control it. With the familiar glow of energy inhibiting his body, he shut his eyes and silently commanded it all to move through his arms and into the hilt of the Sword of Seals, its hilt sparking and crackling with power. And as Vanuto realized what was about to happen, it was far too late.

And at last, Roy released the power, radiating across the earth like a round of shockwaves and creating billowing winds that made the grass flatten and the watching Smashers get knocked to the ground. The white-hot energy scorched every fiber in Vanuto's unstable body, and he screeched in immense pain, thrashing about less and less the more it went on. Roy held a stiff pose, ignoring his billowing hair and focusing nearly all his strength into his blade. As he reached the peak, a soft thought brushed through his mind, and for a moment, he felt genuinely sorry for having to do this to his opponent.

Finally, the energy fabricating the air vanished as the last bit of energy he was offered was spent. Roy slipped the green-coated sword out of the grievous wound and stiffly watched as Vanuto staggered, then tipped over and crashed to the ground, a sound of thunder rocking the earth for the last time. The pale dragon's body twitched a few times, then laid still, not slain, but surely defeated.

A unique kind of silence filled the air as Roy sighed deeply and released the tension. The sword slipped away from his hand as he laxed his grip on it. He subconscious took control, feeding the last of his current energy into one sole purpose.

Roy groaned in inner pain, swaying dizzily and wings and tail falling limp and shrinking as a transformation took place. A soft glow enveloped his features, slowly growing smaller in size. When the light faded, where Dragon Roy once stood was Human Roy, buck naked. He fell forward to his knees, then collapsed limply into the grass.

The silence was broken at last as the Smashers began an uproar of voices in shock. Link and Marth darted out to their unconscious friend, checking him over without revealing any private parts. His body was covered in battle scars, but his blood was rust red again and the wounds were already beginning to heal.

Link looked back and forth between Roy and the dragon, and all he could do was run his hand through his locks and breath out one word. "...Wow..."

As Marth took a grip on his young friend's shoulders, he felt Roy give off a slight shiver. Noting for the first time the chilly night air, the cobalt unbuttoned his cloak and wrapped it around the redhead's body to protect him from the cold. Placing his hands under the boy's back and knees, Marth lifted Roy into his arms, tucking in the cloak further. He gazed out as the Smashers gathered around Vanuto and sighed inwardly.

_What a fiasco...

* * *

_

A/N: WOO! ONLY ONE CHAPPIE LEFT! 8D

Eliwood: Who cares? Check me OUT! (poses, shine)

Matthew: Shhiiiiiiinnnnyyy... (steals Eliwood)

Eliwood: O.O I'M BEING STOLEN! ;o;

Roy: ...how can you steal a person?

Ed: I DON'T KNOW ANYMOOOORE! (spazz)

FME: POOR EDWARD! (cries a river)

Link: Wait... what's going on?

Eliwood: (crying cause he's being stolen)

Ed: (crying because he's so confused)

FME: (crying over Ed's confusion)

Roy: (crying because everyone else is crying)

Link: Um... yeah... I am SO glad this'll be over soon.

Heehee... 8D REVIEW PEEPS!


	10. New Resolve

A/N: Aww... It's the last chapter... ;o;

Ed: YAAAAAAAY!

Matthew: (throws confetti)

Roy: Aw, man...

FME: WAH! ):(

Link: Well, I don't have a choice...

Eliwood: But... don't you have a sequel planned?

Oh, yeah! I'll invite you guys over for that too!

Roy and FME: YAAAAAY!

Matthew: O.o... You have GOT to be kidding me...

Ed: ...you and your fat-ass mouth, Eliwood.

Eliwood: What?

Oh, I'm sorry this took a while. Something was wrong with the site, so I couldn't update. But now, I CAN! YAY! But anyways, let's get out this last chapter! Finally! OH! And thanks to CronoMaster for your support! You rule!

* * *

Dragon Blood: Chapter 10: New Resolve 

The SSBM Mansion was in a slight uproar over the events of that night, but things slowly began to cool down. Vanuto was sent away to be dealt with, all property damage was being reconstructed again, and Smashers quickly recovered from any injuries they had received from the battle. And yet, not all was right.

Roy was placed in the Recovery Wing of the Mansion, and for several days the half-dragon remained in slumber since he had collapsed. Many Smashers wanted to wait until he woke up to immediately begin questioning him, but Mario would not permit anyone entrance to his room.

Finally, he allowed two people inside whom he felt deserved to know how their friend was doing. Link and Marth entered quietly, wrapped in bandages from the Deadly Strangle plants. And once inside, there they spied the boy resting in his bed. Roy was in bandages as well, though a blanket covered most of his body. His eyes were faintly sealed, breathing soft, face tranquil in sleep. The blonde and cobalt stood above him, observing his peaceful form.

A smile played across Link's face. "Heh, he looks all innocent..."

Marth couldn't help but slightly smile himself, but it slowly faded as he gently took Roy's hand, limp, yet warm. "...I just hope he'll be alright whenever he wakes up," he sighed. "After all that's happened and what he's been through..."

"Aw, he'll be fine," Link assured, leaning on the post at the foot of the bed. "Knowing Roy, he'll bounce right back into things. I wouldn't worry about it."

Somewhat comforted, Marth nodded once, running his thumb over Roy's fingers. "Huh... y'know, I never would've imagined someone like him to actually _be_ a real half-dragon..."

Link glanced at Marth without turning his head. "...Doesn't make him any different."

"No, I know... I never really thought about it at first because we're all used to his fire powers... But when I really think about the fact that half his blood is dragon blood... It's strange, that's all..."

Link shook his head and grinned. "I dunno, having a half-dragon as a friend is pretty damn cool in my opinion."

Marth chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess... You think he'll be sensitive about it?"

"Hell no!" Link laughed. "If anything, he'll be bragging about it!"

"Yeah, he'll...!" Marth blinked and glanced down as Roy's fingers slowly but firmly curled around his own. There came a small groan, and the two watched as Roy's bright eyes of cerulean opened and blinked tiredly as the boy finally awakened to the world. As he began to recognize his surroundings, he was comforted by the sight of his two best friends in the whole world.

"Hey, Roy!" Link greeted with a goofy grin. "Welcome back to the world of the living!"

"Mmm..." Roy yawned and sat up, scratching his head with his free hand. "How long was I out...?"

"A good four days," Marth answered. "We were starting to worry."

"..." Roy was silent.

"How did you change back so easily?" Link questioned curiously.

"...The rest of my strength was subconsciously used to retain my human form," Roy responded almost robotically, and before they could ask how he knew, he looked up and asked, "What happened to Vanuto?"

"He changed back shortly after you did," Marth answered again.

"Figured as much. He needed more time to get the sufficient amount of energy to transform."

Slightly creeped out, Marth continued. "Right. He was in the Recovery Wing for a couple days, then was picked up by the National Dragonologist Society yesterday. They'll deal with him, so don't worry."

"...Oh..." Somehow, Roy seemed a bit disappointed.

"Serves the jerk right, using you for power," Link growled. "Should've known better than to recruit a sorcerer..."

Roy seemed hesitant at that. "I... I don't think he was that bad all the time..."

Link and Marth blinked in surprise at such a statement from the redhead. But before they jumped to conclusions, they decided to listen in. "What do you mean?"

Roy seemed far away as he explained. "...The study of dragons is fragile... A person studying them has to have a very steady heart and mind... It's so easy to collapse..."His eyes came up to meet theirs, clouded yet open, like a window into his soul. "...I was a dragon... it was a very powerful state... So it's possible and more likely that those only seeking knowledge will become corrupt at the promise of power... Long ago, Vanuto could've only been desiring the knowledge that dragon lore could grant him... and then power made him mad..."

Not knowing what to say in response, the elf and prince looked at each other until Link shrugged. "I... guess that makes sense..."

Marth only nodded in agreement, holding back any exceptions he could make. There wasn't a point, anyway.

Roy blinked a couple times, and the whimsical shine in his eyes vanished in an instant. There was a soft grumble, and he glanced down at his stomach. "...I'm hungry."

Marth smiled at the familiar Roy-esque comment. "Want us to go get you something?"

"Yeah, that'd be cool..." As the two began to leave, Roy thought of something and asked, "So... what are they gonna do with all of Vanuto's stuff...?"

"Well, they packed everything up in his dorm to store down in the basement. I think we're gonna move it down later today."

"Oh... alright. Thanks," Roy thanked softly, yet wholeheartedly. The two left to retrieve his request, leaving him to himself. The boy threw off the bed covers and leaped to his feet, stretching his limbs and spine needingly. He paused awkwardly, noting the absent feel of wings, and for second he regretted losing them. Groggily, he approached the window and stared out into the fresh morning skies, sighing as a complex string of thoughts moved about his mind.

----------

Later, Roy strolled down the hall, finishing off a few morsels of bread from his large sub sandwich. Most of it he had eaten during his council with Mario, whom had requested it once the news of the boy's awakening had reached him.

_"Now, er..." The plumber sat across from Roy as the half-dragon devoured his first meal in days. Mario tried to ignore this. "Is there any possible way you can transform back into a dragon?"_

_"Dunno," Roy swallowed, picking through his teeth with his fingernails. "Maybe with the right trigger, but I don't know for sure."_

_"Guess we'll find that out later," Mario chuckled ironically. "Um, can you still control your powers?"_

_"Oh, yeah, that's not a problem," Roy answered casually, sucking on his fingertips. _

_"Okay, then." Mario confirmed with a nod, then leaned forward and looked levelly at Roy. "Now... I want you to stick to your old list of moves, okay?"_

_Roy paused before his next bite, jaw left suspended as he glanced up at Mario. _

_"We just... don't want any... unfortunate incidents..."_

_Roy lowered his sandwich slowly, glancing downward, then nodded. "...Right..."_

_Mario flinched, thinking he had been offending. "Ah... I-I don't want you to think that your new... discovery is a bad thing, I just..."_

_Roy held up a hand, stopping Mario as he took yet another bite of his sub. With full cheeks he muttered, "It's cool, it's cool..."_

_"Alright, if you say so..."_

Roy thought about the meeting as he crunched into his last crust of bread. At last he came to his destination: a dorm door with a "Vacant" slot where a Smasher name usually was. Noises past the door indicated activity inside. Sighing to keep his cool and shoving the last bite in, Roy took the doorknob and entered.

A few Smashers occupied the dorm-Link, Marth, Zelda, Luigi, and Captain Falcon. Stacks of labeled boxes sat here and there as they were preparing to lug it all downstairs. As he stepped in, Roy's eyes and ears first fell on Falcon, grumbling as he stacked some boxes on a cart.

"This is SUCH a waste of my time..." he growled. "I should be up helping on the Tower!"

Marth turned and gave the bounty hunter an incredulous stare. "Falcon, if you can't fix something as simple as a television set without smashing it to pieces, they aren't gonna let you work on the Tower."

"GRRRR!"

Laughter filled the room, succeeding in lighting up Roy's mood. He was comforted by the presence of familiarity, glad that things were already beginning to smooth over and get back to normal before all this madness happened. He announced his presence with the closing of the door, and all eyes turned to him, most pairs brightening up.

"Yo, Roy!"

"Good to see you!"

"How you feeling, buddy?"

"Fine, fine..." Roy answered with a smile, but it faded when Falcon stepped up and stood above him with a smirk. Roy hated it when he did this, attempting to add to the illusion of the boy's short stature.

"Well, well..." Falcon grinned. "If it ain't the half-dragon."

Absolute silence.

"..." Falcon stood confused at the unchanged stare on Roy's face. "...Um..." He cleared his throat. "Well, well, if it ain't the half-dragon!"

Roy blinked. "...Oh, I'm sorry, was that supposed to be derogatory? I couldn't tell."

"...what?"

"Your insult doesn't affect him, idiot," Luigi muttered. "God, you're stupid..."

With Falcon distracted with growling, Roy pushed past him to where his friends were. He was greeted by pats on the back from his two best buds and a warm, friendly embrace from the princess.

"Oh, Roy, it's so good to see you back on your feet!" Zelda cried happily. "You wouldn't respond to any of my awakening spells, and we were all getting worried!"

Roy smiled in gratitude of her compassion. "Thanks, Zel."

Once she let go the blonde and cobalt flanked him on each side, laughing heartily as they exchanged greetings.

"Hey," Link slapped his stomach, smirking. "Nice crack at Spandex Man."

Roy burst into laughter, face full of mirth once more. "Yeah, right."

"So, what's up?" Marth asked casually, but he regretted doing so as Roy's face fell slightly as he remembered what he came here for.

"Oh, yeah... Where are his books?"

"The books? Well..."

"They're over here, in that box," Zelda pointed, making her way toward it as the others followed. She opened up the top to show him the several spines of literature, and he nodded.

"Yeah, can I take them?"

"...excuse me?"

"Uh... yeah... I'll... keep them in my dorm so they don't get all... crusty in that... cold... damp basement..." he grinned stupidly.

Zelda gave him a skeptical smirk. "Oh, really? Or is it because you're curious?"

Roy shrank a bit. "W-well..."

"Aww, don't be so hard on him, Zel..." Link grinned softly.

"I... I just want to know everything I can," Roy explained himself. "...so I can have at least kind of a grasp on all this."

Zelda nodded, lifting up the box. "Of course, I understand. Here you go." She placed it in Roy's arms. "Just don't go psychotic on us, okay?" she joked.

Roy chuckled nervously. "Ahaha... yeah. Thanks a lot."

As they watched him exit quietly, Zelda couldn't help but look worried for some reason.

"Don't worry, Zel," Link comforted. "That won't happen. He knows better."

"Yeah..." Marth sighed ruefully. "Because he's experienced it first-hand."

----------

Roy waited for a good time to start reading, leaving the books in the safety of his dorm as he let the other Smashers know he was alright and dined especially heartily at dinner. His friends were most glad to see him in a much more cheery mood after all that had happened to him. Recovery was inevitable.

As the evening began to cool down, Roy retired to his dorm for the night, ready to begin a long process. Vanuto had quite a large collection of books, after all.

The anxious half-dragon dug into the box, searching for text that most appealed to him. At last, he saw a deep red spine with no title, and curiosity (as well as perhaps fate) drew his hand to slip it out and look it over.

It was a large, red book, leather-bound and green stones set on the front cover. Dragon symbols were sketched everywhere, along with rune letters that Roy's subconscious could immediately translate to read "_Drake's Complete Book of Dragons._"

_Seems like a good place to start. _Curiously, Roy turned the book over to find a quote on the back cover in curved, silver letters:

_No doubt but there is none other beeste comparable to the mightie dragon in awesome power and magestie, and few so worthie of the diligent studies of wise men._

_Gildas Magnus, Ars Draconis, 1465._

Roy chuckled in irony. "Too true, Gildas, too true..."

Slowly he opened the covers and briefly glanced through the illustrated pages, gaining interest. He flipped to the inside cover and read a brief note by the author, Dr. Ernest Drake, who described his work as "the Secret and Ancient Society of Dragonologists."

_Well, better get started._ He opened to the first page and began to read...

_Of all the natural sciences, dragonology is perhaps the most rewarding, being at the same time one of the oldest and least researched. Dragons have been studied since mankind's earliest days and yet, paradoxically, they are one of the least known of Earth's creatures. So, while many scientists believe the vast majority of the world's flora and fauna are now understood, in the little-known field of dragonology the way lies open for exciting new discoveries. _

**THE END

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**

A/N: Most of my info and quotes were taken from here:

Drake, Ernest. Dragonology. ed Dugland A. Steer. Cambridge: Candlewick Press, 2003.

Eliwood: Ooh... MLA format...

WOOHOO! This is done! Yay!

FME: That was such a good story:)

Roy: I LIKEY!

Ed: -.-; I just wish it was OVER...

Well, I'll get to Three Renegades before I'll post the first chappie. How's that sound?

Ed: ...okay...

Matthew: ...the gods hate me... (cries)

Eliwood: Aw... POOR MATT! (huggles)

Matthew: O.o

Link: XD

Review this ficcy please!


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